---DIFFERENCE MAKING~~

"For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not wickedly departed from
my God." -(PSALM 18:21)--

--MARTIN LUTHER KING dreamed of a day when people would be judged not by their skin color but by their character. This isn't an excuse to ignore the impact of people's ethnicity and experiences, but a reminder that, in God's eyes, all people are on the same footing. God, being merciful, provides a Savior who unites all people as His children, regardless of background or politics or any other worldly division.

As a Christian, you're in a unique position to move beyond dreaming of a better day, to actually making one happen. It happens one heart at a time, as people realize their brokenness and need while while grasping that God is throwing them a life preserver.

While you might not have treated differences with prejudice and injustice, others have, and you need to represent God's compassion as you listen to their stories, sharing His truth as you emphasize the equality of all people before God. Everyone you meet matters to God, and everything they've experienced is preparing them to meet Him. You can make the introduction that makes the difference. ~~

--"Lord, help me to walk before You in a way that honors the value of each person I meet. Give me the opportunity to point them to You and support them in their seeking." ~~

--A TIMELY MESSAGE ~~

--"I have written to you...encouraging you."
--[1 Peter 5:12] --

--I LOVE EMAIL! It's a casual, almost instantaneous way of communicating, especially with our children, some of whom are currently living in Africa. But I also miss the special pleasure of receiving "snail-mail"--noting the stamp, slitting open the envelope unfolding and holding in my hand words put to paper by someone who cares about me.

It seems like a lot of trouble to write a real letter--find the stamps, select some stationery, find the address and pen that works. But we have some friends who help me keep that "inconvenience" in perspective.

Several times a year we get letters from our Tanzania friends, the Kimambos. We've been in their home, and we know they don't have a drawer devoted to varieties of note cards and letter paper, as we have in our study. Our last letter from them was written on two sheets of paper from different school tablets, held together with a straight pin. And because they don't know English, they have to walk to a friend's house and dictate their letter to her in Swahili, which she translates into English and writes down . Then it's off to the stationer's to buy an envelope, and to the post office to buy a stamp and mail the letter. Their letters are a great gift to us, a source of encouragement and joy.

Isn't there someone in your life who would appreciate hearing from you today? Find some paper and a pen. Writing a letter is a wonderful way to tell someone you care.

--ODB/MJC~

---Difference Making ~~

---Seeing the LORD's Goodness ~~

---"I love the LORD, For He heard my voice."
---[Psalm 116:1 / NIV]

--SOMETIMES it seems like a plague, this constant presence of technology and nonstop children's programs on TV. Even our youngest child David, seems lost in games and stories that are ever ready on his iPAD.

My dad recently recently commented that on an hour-long walk through one of our downtown parks, every person he met was looking at their smartphone rather rather than taking in the beauties of the day.

Sadly, I have to admit that there's no easy solution to this phenomena. From college-age Harrison on down, all my children are pretty much addicted to their devices. Even a family campaign to monitor our screen time left me doubting.

"Father, show me how to bring back some of the good, some of the remembrances from my childhood."

His answer came as I was perusing a jumbled table of knick-knacks at a neighbor's garage sale. There it was, a complete DVD set of of the old TV series Little House on the Prairie. My mind raced back to the times
the Ingalls family, living with little but happy nonetheless. my mom, dad, and Keri and I gathered to watch weekly adventures of the Ingalls. We knew all their names, suffered their defeats, and delighted in their successes. Our children were seeing how to be happy without stuff, and Corinne and I were reminded of the importance of family time.

We were all made better by our visits to "the prairie," something that really came home to me the day I looked out the window and saw the girls in the backyard, screens forgotten, creating a pretend playhouse under under a big shade tree. ~~


--"Father, thank You for showing us your goodness. Thank You, Lord for supplying many of our wants and all of our needs,. In the Lord's Name. "

--Guideposts/BK~

--Difference Making ~~

---Mercy Goes A Long Way ~~

--"But Jesus called the children to him, and said, "Let the little children come to me, and so not hinder them,
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." --[Luke 18:16 / NIV] --

---My wife, Sandee, still runs twelve miles a week despite the fact that her knees are shot. Well, shot might be too strong a word. Her knees are ...umm...shot. I was right the first time. They are shot.

My in-laws have whispered to me that I should tell Sandee to stop running. I have myself a good chuckle, then whisper back two questions: "Have you ever met my wife? Do you think that would work?" The silence that follows it the answer.

Several therapies have been tried: stretches, anti-inflammatory drugs, needles. Some things worked for a while, but nothing long-term. So my wife has stuck to her homemade remedy: a heady mixture of tenacity and denial, plus a knew brace. Sandee says the concoction works fine. Then again that could be her homemade remedy speaking.

Recently, someone else noticed Sandee's struggles. A little girl was happily skipping in the other direction, then turned around to catch up with Sandee.

"I saw you running," she said, breathless and earnest. "I'll pray for your knee."

From Sandee's description of the encounter, the girl might be a little "touched ," as my sainted mother used to say. Then again, maybe not. Maybe genuine compassion is in such short supply that when we see it offered so freely, we assume that something must be wrong.

I will say this: Sandee's knee did feel better, almost instantly, I don't know what proportions make up Sandee's homegrown recipe--how much tenacity, how much denial--but I do know that it takes only a pinch of unsolicited mercy to go a very long way.

--"Lord, thank You for sending Your small angels to repair the world, one knee at a time"

--Guideposts/MC~.
~~~~~~~~

--For Your Information ~~

--OLYMPIC TORCHES ~~

--One interesting aspect of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, that occurred this summer was that many of the medal winners and participants not only let their athletic abilities shine by also their faith in Christ well. Among them are Sydney McLaughlin, USA (gold medal), Hidilyn Diaz of the Philippines (gold medal), Allyson Felix (6 gold, 3 silver) Kendra Harrison, USA (silver medal). And more....When give the opportunity in interviews, they all have born witness of their faith in Christ and how it has equipped and strengthened them in their.

For example, Sydney McLaughlin said during an interview,"And I think the biggest difference this year is my faith, trusting God and that process, and knowing that He's in control of everything and I really cannot do anything more but give the glory to Him at this point. I no longer run for self-recognition, but to reflect His perfect will that is already in stone. I don't deserve anything. But by grace, through faith, Jesus has given me everything. Records come and go. The glory of God is eternal. "Thank you, Father."
--Abiding Word Ministries/ The Vine and Branches ~
--Source :christianpost.com

---DIFFERENCE MAKING / REACH OUT IN JESUS ~~

--"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
---[1 Thessalonians 5:11 /NIV] --

--I set up tables in my church and hung up signs for my first "Free Kid's Clothing Swap." Tables were labeled for boys on one side and girls on the other, from infant to teenage.

Moms arrived in droves, dropping off their children's outgrown clothes and browsing through piles on the other tables for bigger sizes. I answered question, folded, and did my best to organize the growing tables spilling over with clothing. Other moms jumped in to help as more and more people arrived.

Although I was surprised by the amazing turnout, I knew this was a big need.. I could see it in the posts of the single moms' group I had created on social media. Isolation was another, something many moms experience when their children are very young. So, soon after the clothing swap I organized a "Mom Event" night, a fun way to meet other moms. Shortly after, moms were contacting me in anticipation for the new "Mom Event."

During my personal hardships in motherhood, I struggled to understand why life was so hard. I longed for community and for my needs to be met when I felt powerless to meet them myself. And yet these are the experiences that gave me such a heart for mothers, especially single moms. I didn't always get that sense of community I ached for a struggling mom, but now I'm in a better place in motherhood, my passion and purpose are clear. I can create for others the areas I yearned for so many years ago. ~~

--"Lord, thank You for turning our past miseries into present ministries, all for Your glory.".
---ODB/KV~
~~~~~~~~~~

--The Beauty of Simplicity ~~
-[Spiritual Glue For Marriage]

----"And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God."
----[Micah 6:8/ NAS] --

----Every morning my husband, Rick, and I sit on the front porch. Nothing fancy. we drink coffee, talk, and pray. One bitter-cold day, we were in our rocking chairs at dawn. I the quiet stillness, my man of few words asked me a startling question. "Would you still love me if I couldn't fix things?"

We'd been married for almost forty years--the same length of time he's owned an auto repair business--and it sounded like he needed reassurance. But he'd always appeared confident. He was my rock. On him I totally depended.

What I had to say felt so intimate that my great grew full. "I'm sorry I should've told you this a long time ago. I admire you. You serve people behind the scenes without caring if you receive recognition. Yesterday, you were at church at 5:00 a.m. to help set up. after the service, you helped tear down. After you finished, you fixed Jamie's leaky roof."

He sipped his coffee and looked out into the darkness. "It's no big deal."
"Oh yes, it is. You have the gift of service. You have the gift of helps. [1 Corinthians 12] ~ You're a mechanical genius. And you're generous. What you do matters. The other day you stopped to help an elderly woman having car trouble. Last night at Mother's house, you put her broken lamp back together."

"I'm just doing the right thing," he said.
I knelt in front of him. "When you fix broken things, you're helping to mend broken people." Putting my arms inside his warm coat, I hugged him. "And yes, even if you couldn't fix things, I'd still love you."
---Guideposts/JG~

---FUTURE ~~

--IN AN essay entitled "Good Guys Finish First (Sometimes), Andrew Bagnato told the following story ==

Following a rags-to-riches season that led them to the Rose Bowl--their first in decades--Northwestern University's Wildcats met with coach Gary Barnett for the opening of Spring training.

As players found their seats, Barnett announced that he was going to hand out the award that many Wildcats had earned in 1995. Some players exchanged glances. Garnett does not normally dwell on the past. But as the coach continued to call players forward and handed them placards proclaiming their achievements, they were cheered on by their teammates .

One of the other coaches gave Barnet a placard representing his seventeen national coach-of-the-year awards. Then, as the applause subsided, Barnett walked to the trash can marked "1995". He took an admiring glance at his placard, then dumped it in the can.

In the silence that followed, one by one, the team's stars dumped their placards on top of Barnett's. Barnett had shouted a message without uttering a word: "What you did in 1995 was terrific, lads,. But look at the calendar "It's 1996."

It's great to celebrate the accomplishments of the past. But with God, our best days are always ahead. ~~

--Chicago Tribune Magazine (9/1/96)
--Nostalgia