It is nice to talk to some ladies that seem to know how not to get involved with a nonbeliever and scamed. I am way older than you but still enjoy talking with women that have the Lord first in their lives.
Also write a column each week that goes out world wide over the computer and to local newspapers. Much is how the Lord has blessed us time and time again and tell personal stories with Bible related verses.
I would like to find a lady in my area for companionship and attending church and dinning out. It is hard to talk to any in over 60 range as they are in senior homes or with family.
My website is TipTopWebsite.com/LensLines if anyone wants to read past columns. God Bless All You Beautiful Ladies. Len
Hi--Will be 80 this year- but still trying to serve the Lord
Posted : 22 Feb, 2012 11:22 AM
This is a story of my life and why I will never be able to serve the Lord enough till he calls me home.
LENS LINES ---------A little religion on a positive note By Len Granger
Life's Turning Moment
As Christians, I am sure we can all speak of a time in our life when we felt God was speaking directly to us?
He may have been telling us to change our lives to better serve him; Maybe to speak out to our friends and neighbors about the Lord's wonderful saving Grace, Or to even dedicate our life for full time service, as we follow our Lord in his footsteps, where ever he leads us.
Raised in a Christian home and attending church all my life, when ever the doors were open, and then later with my wife and family, I have always tried to serve the Lord. For the past 50 plus years, I have been living on borrowed time our gracious loving Lord has given me. Because of allowing me to live over the years, he has provided many opportunities to help others and spread the Good News to people everywhere.
With the Lord's help, we have assisted small Christian churches grow by providing bus and van vehicles to start Sunday Morning bus ministries. When I found myself on the radio, I said "Lord where are you taking me?" The Sunday Morning Devotions program of scripture, song and verse went out over three radio stations in the Marysville and Yuba city area of California. Now we have a church garden and provided farm produce to help meet the needs of church members and those around us.
When my wife went home to be with the Lord two years ago, I promised her and our Lord, that I would to the best of my ability help others and continue to follow him where ever he took me. She fully understood and said " I will be watching and know the Lord will open new doors, so you can further serve him.
You may be wondering what happened some fifty years ago that changed my life? God sent me a very strong message that I will never been be able to forget as long as I live. I was in the Air Force in Athens Greece, when my wife came down with polio in 1958. She was sent to an Air Force hospital in Germany and was there several months for treatment. The doctors had me visit once a month for updates and I would fly as a passenger on an AF plane. However, one week there was only a Navy plane going by way of Naples, Italy, refuel, and proceed to Germany.
As the plane arrived in Naples a very large storm came in off the sea, much like Paul described in the Bible. The plane was delayed over six hours before the storm settled down. About a half hour before departing, it was announced for me to go to the terminal office where I was told, "You are bumped off this flight by a person with a higher priority" It has always bothered me and I have many times asked the Lord--Why was I selected to be removed from the plane?. . Our Lord has a roadmap with his plans laid out for us, so I have learned to praise him for the good things and some at the time I think are not so good. Well, the military passenger plane in the fog, crashed into a mountain and all 46 people on board were killed.
I will never be able to serve our Lord enough to thank him for his saving and loving grace to me. God Bless America
LEN'S LINES -- A Little Religion On A Positive Note By Len Granger
Showers of Blessings
Blessings are showered on us as we see in the Bible, Ezekiel 34-26, " I will cause showers to come down in their season, there shall be showers of blessings".
We may not even recognize a Blessing as they come in the form of Physical Blessings, Material Blessings, and Spiritual Blessings. Some of us may have even said , I never get a Blessing and have stopped asking the Lord. We may have blinders on our eyes and cannot see the small Blessings, as we look to the Lord for that enormous earth shaking Blessing we have always wanted.
The Lord may have said I will supply your needs, However, your wants are up to you to obtain. As we look back over our Christian lives we see many Blessings that the Lord has provided us and we praise him for his comfort and guidance as we try to follow closely by his side.
Our loving and gracious Lord Jesus Christ, tells us in Matthew, Chapter 5 verses 3 to 10: "
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the Kingdom Of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted,
Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth,
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
and Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven".
Now that is many Blessings of all types, and sometimes the Lord even takes back a small Blessing and gives us a much larger one in its place.
Recently on my small farm, I had a calf born and it was a Blessing. It was rather small and not able to nurse so was bottle feed, as we sometimes have had to do in the past. It was doing fairly well but when the rainstorm came through it became weak and died. I prayed what to do with the cow as could only keep so many on the pasture, The Lord answered to sell the cow and another large cow that did not have a calf, but I thought that will take time. That day I went to a neighborhood market and mentioned my problem to the owner who said his brother was looking for a cow for beef. They would be over to see the cows in a day or two, he said, so I went home, prayed and took a nap.
I was awaken by a knock on the door, and there were the brothers to look at the cows. They bought both cows and paid for them and we shook hands to seal the agreement. Yes, the Lord may Bless us with small Blessings and take them back and give us a much larger Blessing.
Pray we will all be in the church of our choice this Sunday singing and worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Some Christians say the Lord is first in their lives but they say he never has given them a spiritual gift to share with others?
We all are missionaries that can spread the Good Word to others about us and that might be our gift. We do not have to overseas to the heathen, they are all around us. Sharing the salvation we have with others should be our priority.
LEN'S LINES === A Little Religion On A Positive Note By Len Granger
When Will God Sing?
As we live our daily lives each of us spends time praying and reading the Bible, God's word for guidance. We also gather with others as we attend the church we select to sing and worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We reach out to others around us and spread the Good Word to those that should be saved, so they also can know the wonderful life and Salvation that is available to those that put their faith in the Lord.
All this is good that we do as a person serving the Lord, however, What about our nation--Do we still honor God? Our country forefathers established a nation made up of colonies each worshiping the Lord and was established under those guidelines. We see "In God We Trust" on many public buildings and on our money, bills and coins. The Bible is used to pledge our trust in God, as our office holders at at levels of government lay their hand on God's Word.
We read in the Bible, in Mathew 25 Verse 31 to 34, " When the Son of Man, comes in his Glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the Throne of His Glory. " All the nations will be gather before Him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. " And He will set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
In our lifetime, we have seen the nations that have fallen away from serving God, no longer the leading nations of the world. They have suffered greatly in times of war, disaster and a demised standing among other nations. Our country has been blessed time and time again, however, there now seems to be movement away from serving or even needing God's protection and guidance. Are we headed down the slippery slope other nations have taken?
I pray not, For God can bring severe punishment on nations as we see in many places in the Bible. One such reference is in the Book of Zephaniah were God was very unhappy and destroyed the nation of Israel. When they repented and prayed for His forgiveness, we see our Loving and Gracious Lord was willing to accept them back under his protecting wings. We even note He Sang.
Zephaniah 3-17 tells us, "The Lord Thy God in the midst of thee is mighty, He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in His love, HE WILL JOY OVER THEE WITH SINGING.
Yes, if our nation turns back to God for his guidance, we will see a God that sings with us as we worship and sing in the church of our choice this coming Sunday.
The Bible in many places lists examples of sins of the time when the Bible was written. They are all good areas to refrain from even today. However, we have many new areas of sin, but most all relate to sins of the flesh. Some people think if a particular sin is not mentioned in the Bible it can not be a sin.
Let us put things in this thought, our bodies are a termple of the Lord after we are saved, so anything that harms it is a sin. A sin to you many not be a sin to me, but only the Lord knows are heart.
There is no perfect Church , perfect Pastor, Priest, Pope and any church leader. I only put my trust and faith in my Loving Gracious Lord snd Savior Jesus Christ. We attend the church of our choice to hear God's Word and wordship the Lord. and be with like belivers, that are also looking to the Lord for directions.
Paul saw the errors of the churches and pointed them out to believers. Many of the rituals and beliefs of some churches are just that, Man's ideas which sound good but many are not in the Bible, so go by God's Word and walk in the footsteps of our Lord.
Does God Give Us Eternal Life or can we lose it???
Posted : 17 Feb, 2012 08:07 PM
LEN'S LINES ---- A Little Religion On A Positive Note By Len Granger
God Gives Us Eternal Life
Recent reports on the population of the world indicate that people are living longer . Children being born this year could possibly see their 100th birthday as they live into the next century. The average life span over the past century has grown at an unbelievable 2.5 years a decade. Now we are told the social, political, environmental and economic ramifications of the futuristic fountain of youth should give us concern.
As we age, many people find themselves with the inability to face death and are willing to do anything to extend their life a few more sickly months. We all realize that a physical death will someday over take us , no matter how well we exercise, eat the right food stuff and plan for the future. We all should be prepared to meet our creator whatever our age, young or like me pushing 80 years, for we know not what the next day holds for us.
As Christians, we pray that we will walk in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior all our life. We do not know when he will call us home to be with him for eternity, but we put all our trust and faith in our Lord.
Spiritual death is not like physical death as we know it. We see in the Bible where body and soul are separate entities. 1 Corinthians, in the New Testament, 15:53 to 57 tells us " Death is swallowed up in victory". O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
We may have a physical body death but our Lord is there, if we accept him, to pick us up and take us to our heavenly home.
My relative, Noah Bacon on his 100th birthday, wrote this Poem to his future ancestors telling of his love for the Lord. He was born December 19, 1799 and was a known poet in his day, with this published in the Des Moines Register the largest newspaper in the state of Iowa. I am copying from the original aged yellowed paper with his signed greeting on the bottom and a personal letter on the back.
A Birthday Poem by N. H. Bacon written on his 100th Birthday.
My writing muse is ready to indite, my birthday song if I can see to write. == My age has made me almost deaf and blind, relatives and friends are all very kind.
The nineteenth of December is here, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine the year,== The evening of my life is calm and clear as my confidence in God has banished fear.
I have reached milestone one hundred, my waning life is an even spun thread. == In gladness of heart I eat my daily bread, by the kind hand of the Lord I am led.
From his garner I get my daily bread, from his vestry my raiment and my bed. == He pours his gracious blessing on my head, his impartial benefits on all are shed.
Of my wife and five children I am bereft, with only four kind loving sons to me are left. == Living grandchildren I have twenty-four, great-grand fifty-five, great-great six or more.
Many relatives and friends are now here, to celebrate my centennial year. == And drive away my sorrows and fear, and make this a day of joy and gladness.
Sublimity may grace the poet's pen, but plain truth is admired by all good men. == My poetry or notes in rhyme are brief view of past and present time.
The morning sun has reached its noon day tide, and I must lay my tell tale pen aside. == My muse has plumed its wing and flown away, and I can write no more today.
With love to relatives and social friends====My hasty written birthday poem ends.
1109 West Nineteenth Street, Des Moines, Iowa Dated, Dec 19, 1899
Compliments of author N, B, Bacon signed in pen by a man that loved the Lord and his family.
We trust this Sunday we will all be in the church of our choice, worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Seems all woman over 60 have left the farm for the greener pastures of the city. On the farm we get to see all the wonders of nature before our eyes daily. We can pray to the Lord in total silence, under the stars, and maybe see a dove fly over.
Life is so simple here on the farm but could be better with a Christian companion, who puts the Lord first in their life.
LEN'S LINES --- A Little Religion On A Positive Note By Len Granger
Act Of God
When we think of all the things that happened in our lives, we often recall what the world believes are an Act of God. Yes, earthquakes, floods, tornados, and droughts are not under our control, so they must be an Act of God. We have no control, and even our home insurance which covers fire and robbery, has extra charges for earthquake, floods, and other Acts Of God.
We pray that God will be merciful on us as we have recorded numbers of earthquakes, floods and natural disasters around the world in this past year. Some men in high places, tell us we can have control over the world by actions we take , such as the warming of the earth. God has a plan for his universe and his people, and only God knows the answers to this worlds difficulties. If we look to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we can rest assured that what ever comes our way is in his plan for our lives.
Now, let me tell you this story and see what you think? When I retired from the Air Force in 1973, living in Marysville, California, Texaco offered me a service station to operate and it was doing fine. Then we had this so called gas shortage with individual rationing of odd and even number license plates that effect all of us. As a service station owner we were also rationed and it was based on the previous years gasoline sales volume. The previous owner was a mechanic so cared little about gasoline in his business but this had a dire effect on my business.
Each day, I would sell the meager amount of gasoline and then post an Out of Gas Sign. When the local newspaper made a survey of how the service stations were dealing with the shortages, then found me resting with my feet on the desk and sort of down in the dumps. They ran a story on my predicament as a veteran with a family with four children facing this personal disaster. TV Channel 12, in nearby Chico, California ran the story a few days later but Texaco was not able to do anything.
One day, I called the Texaco dispatcher and asked if anything had changed, His answer was, " I wish you would stop calling me and I am telling you to get more gas will have to be an Act Of God"----- I said I believe you are right.
I was no longer discouraged and would again go to the Lord in prayer. In the Bible our Lord says in John 14 verses-13/14, " And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name , I will do it" As I prayed I remembered reading the morning paper where a new Dept of Energy, had been added to the President's cabinet, in Washington DC. So I called and a man answered saying, "I have only a chair and a telephone as desks have not yet been delivered. What may I help you with"?
After listening to my story, I told this unknown kind man, that I have been praying and he was my only possibility of getting any relief from the rationing quota. He answered, You will hearing from me soon and I thanked him for listening to my story.
I sat back down and about two or three hours later the phone rang, and to my surprise it was my Texaco dispatcher in Sacramento, California saying a full load of fuel has just left headed to you. By the way, who do you know in Washington D.C. that works for the Dept of Energy, as not only is this fuel load coming to you, they also took you off the rationing quota giving you all the gasoline you can sell? I said it was an Act Of God, as he answers our prayers if we ask Him and it is His will. A couple weeks later Texaco asked if I would operate a second service station in Marysville, which I accepted and thanked the Lord for His gracious love of his believers.
Trust this Sunday will find us all in the church of our choice praising and worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
