Don’t gimme that old time religion,
Don’t brag on something new;
I don’t care who recommends it,
I only care if it is true.
I appreciate your suggestion,
But there’s a lot at stake;
I’ve got to take a careful look,
It’s life and death, for goodness’ sake.
History is full of beliefs and creeds,
Stories and theories abound;
I need something provable,
More than wishful thinking that’s written down.
I’ve found weakness in evolution,
And beliefs with inconsistency;
If God has a plan for life and death
It’s got to make sense to me.
A serious quest, determined and deep!
My solemn, yet joyous conclusion:
Jesus is the only Savior
If you seek Truth, not delusion.
Nowhere else is there a strict, yet loving
All powerful deity;
The Bible withstands strong examination,
To all who demand reality.
Of course, life has sin and consequences
Affecting the human race,
But God’s forgiveness is outlined in love;
Repentance reveals His amazing grace.
A serious search with urgency
Can reveal what is true;
Give it sincere attention
If seeking truth is important to you.
By Elaine Hardt ©2009
EncouragingU * * * * * * * * * * * * We ALL need a word of encouragement once in awhile.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Eleven Wonderful Prayers
Do YOU pray? Do you ever wonder what to say when you pray?
Down through thousands of years of recorded history
people have prayed in some way or another.
Today many people in the world pray at one time or another.
Some pray to idols, statues, or philosophical ideas.
Others quite confidently pray to the Maker of the Universe,
certain they are being heard,
and positive that God will bless them for praying.
Of the many prayers mentioned in the Old and New Testament,
the Bible records eleven prayers that are quite wonderful.
They reveal truth about the God we pray to,
truth about our human condition,
truth about what our expectations can bring.
by Moses . . . . . . . . . . . .Numbers 14:17-19
by David . . . . . . . . . . . . Psalm 51
by Solomon . . . . . . . . . .2 Chronicles 6:12-42
by Isaiah . . . . . . . . . . . . Isaiah 6
by Hezekiah. . . . . . . . . .2 Kings 19:14-19
by Jeremiah. . . . . . . . . .Jeremiah 1:4-10
by Habakkuk . . . . . . . . .Habakkuk 3
by Daniel . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel 9
by Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . John 17
by Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ephesians 1:15-21
for you . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hebrews 13:20, 21
Yes, it will take a few minutes for you to look for these in the Bible,
but learning is what you sincerely want to do. Do this soon.
Here's one way to look up Bible verses, http://www.biblegateway.com/
Down through thousands of years of recorded history
people have prayed in some way or another.
Today many people in the world pray at one time or another.
Some pray to idols, statues, or philosophical ideas.
Others quite confidently pray to the Maker of the Universe,
certain they are being heard,
and positive that God will bless them for praying.
Of the many prayers mentioned in the Old and New Testament,
the Bible records eleven prayers that are quite wonderful.
They reveal truth about the God we pray to,
truth about our human condition,
truth about what our expectations can bring.
by Moses . . . . . . . . . . . .Numbers 14:17-19
by David . . . . . . . . . . . . Psalm 51
by Solomon . . . . . . . . . .2 Chronicles 6:12-42
by Isaiah . . . . . . . . . . . . Isaiah 6
by Hezekiah. . . . . . . . . .2 Kings 19:14-19
by Jeremiah. . . . . . . . . .Jeremiah 1:4-10
by Habakkuk . . . . . . . . .Habakkuk 3
by Daniel . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel 9
by Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . John 17
by Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ephesians 1:15-21
for you . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hebrews 13:20, 21
Yes, it will take a few minutes for you to look for these in the Bible,
but learning is what you sincerely want to do. Do this soon.
Here's one way to look up Bible verses, http://www.biblegateway.com/
Prayer is powerful, when you do it the right way.
by Elaine Hardt ©2009
by Elaine Hardt ©2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Heed the Labels
Two hours in the shuttle van, if there’s no slowdown on the Interstate to Sky Harbor. So far I was the only passenger, and that suited me fine; it was going to be a very busy day.
About twenty minutes later the driver was pulling into a convenience store parking lot in Spring Valley. The new passenger looked to be thirty, but it was his T-shirt that caught my attention, a picture of a bronze Buddha sat encircled with big green leaves. He slid in across from me and nodded a hello.
I turned from the window to face the newcomer and smiled. I was wearing a sky-blue T-shirt with a rainbow arched over fluffy clouds. Pink letters proclaim: “Heaven, don’t miss it.”
His curt, “You must be a Christian,” comment sounded a little too sharp, but this was the opening I wanted. My reply was a sweet, “Your god doesn’t love you.”
“I don’t have a god, I don’t need a god. I’m a free-thinker and proud of it.”
“Well, see if I’ve got this right. You don’t believe that any all-wise Creator made the cosmos, millions of universes, et cetera, that is if we’re open-minded enough to look out at the night sky,” and I went on to say, “I have a MA in Education from ASU. How about you?”
“BA in Business, if that is germane to this conversation.” Then he added with a smile, “Gerald Setter here, your captive audience all the way to the airport.”
“I’m Shelly Wilson, and thanks for the invitation. Nothing like a stimulating game of verbal ping-pong.”
“Love,” he mused, “everyone’s got an opinion.”
In a kindly tone I repeated, “Your god doesn’t love you. What a loss. Well, actually, I’m happy to inform you that my God does love you.”
“Ha!” he interjected, “your god doesn’t even know me. Maybe I’m a jerk, or worse.”
“Good news from the one and only Bible, God knows all about you and He loves you.”
“You Christians,” he sighed, “all tied up in denominations that argue with each other, and big-name leaders with big egos. How is a poor college-educated atheist to find out which dogma to believe?”
“Good point, Gerald. None of those busy-body denominations or holier-than-thou speakers are mentioned by name in the Bible. Anyone can just go straight to the Bible for themselves and see what God wants us to know.”
“And?”
“Astronomy, archaeology, chemistry, you name it. People smarter than you and I have looked into the veracity of the Bible. It’s not politically correct for some of them to speak out. But someone like me, normal and ordinary, can see the logic of believing in one God, Creator of Everything.”
With no retort from him I marched right on with my points. “Mankind goofs off and disobeys the one and only test of obedience God gave in the beginning. To show the seriousness of that disobedience there’s a penalty. A death penalty. But with unimaginable love God sends Jesus, His only Son to pay that death penalty. Jesus was that perfect sacrifice. Now, to escape the penalty each individual needs only to own up to his/her sins and ask to claim that forgiveness.”
Now, silence was welcome. Time and prayer was on my side. Actually the man had been labeled for prayer by his T-shirt.
We exchanged some thoughtful conversation, and I’m trusting God to continue to speak to him.
You’ve seen them, too. People wearing provocative T-shirts, people adorned with colorful ink on their bodies, men and women who just “look different” from the rest of us.
Just last week my friend Ada mentioned a woman visiting at church who raised her eyebrows in a “look at this” gesture when a young tattooed biker walked up front to play a song on his guitar. That woman also showed her need for your prayer.
What to do — ignore or insult them? There is a better way. Consider that they are labeled for prayer. For some reason they came within your view, and the Lord had you notice them. You can ask the Lord to bless them, fill them with His love, show them the answers they need to find, bring other caring Christians into their lives.
Heed those labels. Make the most of the opportunity God is giving you. # # #
About twenty minutes later the driver was pulling into a convenience store parking lot in Spring Valley. The new passenger looked to be thirty, but it was his T-shirt that caught my attention, a picture of a bronze Buddha sat encircled with big green leaves. He slid in across from me and nodded a hello.
I turned from the window to face the newcomer and smiled. I was wearing a sky-blue T-shirt with a rainbow arched over fluffy clouds. Pink letters proclaim: “Heaven, don’t miss it.”
His curt, “You must be a Christian,” comment sounded a little too sharp, but this was the opening I wanted. My reply was a sweet, “Your god doesn’t love you.”
“I don’t have a god, I don’t need a god. I’m a free-thinker and proud of it.”
“Well, see if I’ve got this right. You don’t believe that any all-wise Creator made the cosmos, millions of universes, et cetera, that is if we’re open-minded enough to look out at the night sky,” and I went on to say, “I have a MA in Education from ASU. How about you?”
“BA in Business, if that is germane to this conversation.” Then he added with a smile, “Gerald Setter here, your captive audience all the way to the airport.”
“I’m Shelly Wilson, and thanks for the invitation. Nothing like a stimulating game of verbal ping-pong.”
“Love,” he mused, “everyone’s got an opinion.”
In a kindly tone I repeated, “Your god doesn’t love you. What a loss. Well, actually, I’m happy to inform you that my God does love you.”
“Ha!” he interjected, “your god doesn’t even know me. Maybe I’m a jerk, or worse.”
“Good news from the one and only Bible, God knows all about you and He loves you.”
“You Christians,” he sighed, “all tied up in denominations that argue with each other, and big-name leaders with big egos. How is a poor college-educated atheist to find out which dogma to believe?”
“Good point, Gerald. None of those busy-body denominations or holier-than-thou speakers are mentioned by name in the Bible. Anyone can just go straight to the Bible for themselves and see what God wants us to know.”
“And?”
“Astronomy, archaeology, chemistry, you name it. People smarter than you and I have looked into the veracity of the Bible. It’s not politically correct for some of them to speak out. But someone like me, normal and ordinary, can see the logic of believing in one God, Creator of Everything.”
With no retort from him I marched right on with my points. “Mankind goofs off and disobeys the one and only test of obedience God gave in the beginning. To show the seriousness of that disobedience there’s a penalty. A death penalty. But with unimaginable love God sends Jesus, His only Son to pay that death penalty. Jesus was that perfect sacrifice. Now, to escape the penalty each individual needs only to own up to his/her sins and ask to claim that forgiveness.”
Now, silence was welcome. Time and prayer was on my side. Actually the man had been labeled for prayer by his T-shirt.
We exchanged some thoughtful conversation, and I’m trusting God to continue to speak to him.
You’ve seen them, too. People wearing provocative T-shirts, people adorned with colorful ink on their bodies, men and women who just “look different” from the rest of us.
Just last week my friend Ada mentioned a woman visiting at church who raised her eyebrows in a “look at this” gesture when a young tattooed biker walked up front to play a song on his guitar. That woman also showed her need for your prayer.
What to do — ignore or insult them? There is a better way. Consider that they are labeled for prayer. For some reason they came within your view, and the Lord had you notice them. You can ask the Lord to bless them, fill them with His love, show them the answers they need to find, bring other caring Christians into their lives.
Heed those labels. Make the most of the opportunity God is giving you. # # #
by Elaine Hardt ©2009
Looking For . . .
Today I'm adding 1,070 more to the total of published pieces. After doing an Internet search via Google all this time I looked at other search engines: Yahoo, Bing, AltaVista, Lycos, Clusty and Teoma. Such a variety of my writings appear on these smaller, less-known sites. Now, I've added to this search by going to Books.Google and Google Blogs, finding 70 additional places where my writing is posted and can be accessed.
If you do a web search for my name be sure you've set your preferences to avoid the bad ones, which remind us that evil exists in the world, and there is ungodly opposition to every believer. As with other objectionable things this reminds us that these people are labeled for prayer.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Two Sides of Remembering
Remembering can make you happy,
Remembering can make you sad;
It all depends upon
The kind of life you’ve had.
Some things are best written down
So they don’t get lost in your head;
Other things you’ve already dealt with,
Considered what you’ve done and said.
Remembering can be good for you
When you talk to the Lord in prayer;
Both honesty and thankfulness
Show that you truly care.
Remembering can make you sparkle,
Remembering can make you blue;
You’re in charge of your feelings,
The choice is up to you.
Make good memories while you can,
Days of life can’t be undone;
Appreciate opportunity
To remember love, joy, hope, and fun!
By Elaine Hardt ©2009
Remembering can make you sad;
It all depends upon
The kind of life you’ve had.
Some things are best written down
So they don’t get lost in your head;
Other things you’ve already dealt with,
Considered what you’ve done and said.
Remembering can be good for you
When you talk to the Lord in prayer;
Both honesty and thankfulness
Show that you truly care.
Remembering can make you sparkle,
Remembering can make you blue;
You’re in charge of your feelings,
The choice is up to you.
Make good memories while you can,
Days of life can’t be undone;
Appreciate opportunity
To remember love, joy, hope, and fun!
By Elaine Hardt ©2009
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Go From Discouragement to Confidence and Courage!
Yes, you are being tested, and it doesn’t seem fair!
Purpose in your heart to stand strong ,
Develop a closer relationship with the Lord in prayer,
Read His Word, asking His Holy Spirit to empower you,
Trust and obey what God wants you to do,
Prudently prepare for the disasters coming to the world,
Thank Him for the confidence and courage;
He will see you through.
by Elaine Hardt ©2009
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