You could think about the darkness
That creeps around at night
You could think of Satan’s army
And the battles that they fight
You could think about the terror
The dart that flies at noon
You could think of sin and sadness
Of trouble, grief, and gloom
But that is only half the story
There is another side too
The side of joy and valor
Of righteousness, of truth
Yehovah can stop Satan’s plans
With just a single word
Greater is He who is in you
Than he who is in the world
Someone said that cats are more trouble than they are worth, but I think otherwise. Some people are disgusted at how cats bring “presents” to their door, but I am just glad that the cats catch all of the rodents so that they are not populating in my yard! As for cat’s vet fees, we found an inexpensive country doctor. And cat food does not need to be anything fancy; I just give my cats dry cat food. And you do not need to bathe a cat; cats bathe themselves and keep decently clean. Furthermore, cats take care of their own business outside and instinctively use a litter box inside. You do not need to take them on walks or clean up after them. To sum up, cats are hardly any trouble, and any problems they do cause is totally worth having a cute, purring cat at your side.
This life in me is not mine;
I have given it away.
This sinful world is not my home;
It’s just where I shortly stay.
Who knows what this life shall bring?
Some trials great and small?
Shall my life be full of peace?
My Maker knows it all.
Shall I have my dreams come true
Or shall I live amidst a war?
I just hope whatever comes
It’s what He created me for.
What if I walk through a furnace of fire?
I may not lose a hair.
My soul, my body, and my spirit
Are in His loving care.
He is the King of my life,
He will guide me wherever I go.
He will strengthen me all of the way,
Until He takes me home.
Yah did not make us robots
To automatically move
To do everything He wants
He gave us the right to choose
Yah didn’t make us animals
Who do their every whim
He didn’t want us to follow instinct
He wanted us to follow Him
Yehovah made us humans
And though we trip and fall
We’re just the way He wants us
And He always loves us all
Yah wants us to love Him
With all of our hearts
But because He lets us choose
We messed up from the start
Yehovah shows His love for us
In that while we still sinned
He sent His son to die for us
For all to come to Him
Everyone says that the lion is the king of the jungle. As for the king of the forest, that used to be me.
I was larger than the largest. My neighbors looked up to me.
The animals were satisfied with my bountiful harvest. Many came, and left full.
But now I have been struck with the incurable. Many tried to help, but failed. I am weak; the least are greater than me.
There must be a cure. Hope may be little, but it is still alive. Someday, hopefully, I will rise again. I am the American Chestnut.
~by S. Rose Williams
The devil thought he’d done it;
The devil thought he’d won.
He had conjured up a plan
To kill Yah’s only son.
He shared his plan with Judas
And with all the scribes and priests.
They all planned to do it
Before the Passover feast.
But Yehovah knew what was happening.
Yehovah was still in control.
He’d sent His Son for that very reason:
To save all of our souls.
Yeshua cried, “Your will be done”
Then He was led away.
After beating, mocking, flogging;
He was crucified that day.
After dying for all our sins
Our Savior went to the Father
Who gave him all glory and majesty
Honor and power forever
Yeshua took the keys to hell
And set all of us free.
What a wonder, what a joy
That he would die for me!
After three day and three nights
He rose and lives again.
The mortal coils of sin and death
Had no triumph over Him!
We’ve all been bad, we’ve all done wrong
But he came to seek and to save.
He loves us all so very much
He died and rose from the grave!
-Scripture References-
Luke 22:3
Matthew 26:3-5
John 12:27
Luke 22:42&54
Jude 25
Revelation 1:18
Luke 19:10
Romans 5:8
The sixth book of Robert Elmer’s The Young Underground book series, A Light in the Castle, illustrates how important it is to give Yehovah the glory for his blessing and not simply account them to luck or chance. This is a fictional story set in 1945 Denmark. The main characters, twelve-year-old twins Peter and Elise Anderson, have just returned from being captured on a German U-boat. When a reporter asks Peter how he made it through such adventures, Peter just says, “We were pretty lucky.” (pg. 10) After receiving an invitation to visit King Christian the Tenth in Copenhagen, the twins and their family hurry to the capital city. On the train, Elise asks Peter why he never says what really happened on the U-boat: prayer and faith. Peter replies, “Okay, so what was I supposed to say?” (pg. 19) As soon as they arrive in Copenhagen, their adventures begin. They find Johanna, a little German orphan, and decide they will watch her until they find her a home. Then two mysterious men follow them everywhere and try hard to steal the antique key that Peter found in his hotel room, making Peter very nervous. Then they go to visit the king. Once again, the king asks them how they made it through all of their crazy adventures. Elise says the truth, that it was God who helped them and protected them. Then the king quotes Revelation 3:8– “…For you have a little strength, have kept my word, and have not denied my name.” Peter begins to realize that he should not deny God the glory He is due. The next day, Peter finds out that the two mysterious men that follow them everywhere are planning to hurt King Christian! The ending chapters are a flurry of activity as Peter and Elise, along with Johanna, rush to help the king. At the end of the grand adventure, another reporter asks Peter what happened. Peter declares that is was not luck. “King Christian was right,” Peter says. “Only God could take care of Denmark. And he took care of us too. Me and my sister, Elise. Little Johanna. Everybody.” (pg. 169) A family takes little Johanna as their own, and Peter and Elise get awards for bravery from the king, thus ending a wonderful story of how we should not be ashamed of or deny God. Elmer does an excellent job of making his characters life-like and enjoyable. I highly recommend this book, one of my very favorite books, to anyone who wants a to read a well-written, morally-uplifting book
~A book report by Faith Williams, July 2018
Far From the Storm, book number four in Robert Elmer’s The Young Underground book series, is a fictional story of two children living in Denmark during the wake of World War II. Main characters Peter and Elise Anderson, having been through many terrors during the war, are hoping that everything will be perfect again now that the war is over. They soon find out that the anger and hurt from the war did not just disappear, especially after defeated enemies almost kill Peter’s cat and burn their Uncle Morton’s fishing ship. This heartwarming tale draws you into the story and makes you feel as though you are running through the cobblestone streets of Helsingor, Denmark, with Peter and Elise, and you feel a friendship with them. Elmer writes through the eyes of Peter and you can feel the cry of his heart as he yearns to fly away far from the storm of anger and unforgiveness (Psalm 55:6-8). Far From the Storm is full of excitement, intrigue, and lessons of forgiveness that can captivate any reader.
Excitement is what draws people to books, and this story abounds with exciting elements. Such things as enemies wanting revenge, fires, and mysteries are not uncommon. From the whole city of Helsingor celebrating the war’s end to Peter bursting through the door in the middle of his uncle’s wedding, this book does not lack excitement for one single moment. Even though so much excitement probably would not happened all at the same time, the story is historically accurate. Without the element of excitement, this story would be bland and lifeless.
Intrigue is another prominent element in this book. You are never sure of what will happen next as the children, along with Peter’s best friend Henrik, attempt to find out who started the fire on Uncle Morton’s ship, the Anna Marie. Surprises await on every page and the intrigue pulls you in and makes this book very hard to set down.
Lastly and most importantly, Elmer uses this story to teach us about forgiveness. Peter finds it very hard to forgive the Nazis for all they have done to him, his family, and his country. He tries hard to battle the anger that just will not stop. The Nazis are also angry: angry that they did not win the war and angry at the things that happened to them because of the war. Both parties have to learn forgiveness, the Axis and the Allies. Peter’s anger finally disappears when he saves the life of an enemy who is drowning. He finally learns how to let go of the hurt and forgive those who hurt him.
Elmer’s masterful blend of excitement, intrigue, and lessons of forgiveness makes this book a must-read. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants good, exciting, and uplifting fiction. Far From the Storm has the ability to catch the enjoyment and interest of many children in the future.
~A book report by Faith Williams, July 2018
It was a very hard night for me
At times I could hardly breathe
You give breath and You take back
Though my being shall never lack
You came to set the captives free
Now I look at what You’ve done for me
You gave me back my breath
You let my weary body rest
When I look at what You do
I cannot help but praise You
~Faith Williams, June 2015