How much blessing do you want?
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Above Rubies Daily Encouragement Blogs
Through the weekly and daily devotionals you can be constantly encouraged in your great role of parenting, the highest career in the nation. You can also stay updated on what's happening with the Above Rubies ministry.
"Fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, and your wives, and your homes" (Nehemiah 4:14).
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How much are you and your family praying for this nation and the countries of the world? God waits for the prayers of His people.
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Ccontinue lifting up the powerful name of Jesus, the name that has power over all the works of the enemy.
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Recently I talked to a young man who is attending college. He shared how his professors advocate delaying marriage and childbearing until they establish themselves and their career. This is how all young people are educated today. Girls are urged to make sure they get settled in a career so that they will have a means of support "in case their marriage fails."Talking to another young lady who attends college she said, "Don't you know that we can now freeze our eggs so we can enjoy our career and have babies later in life when we are ready?"
"Yes," I replied. "I have read about this." In fact, Facebook and Apple now offer female employees a health benefit in order to freeze their eggs so they can focus on their career. However, although this young lady thinks it is “the norm” I am appalled. A generation of young women are being deceived and denied the glory that God intends for them.
It is dangerous to send a young person to college if they are not cemented in godly convictions and a biblical worldview. If they don't know what they believe and are rooted in God's eternal truths, they will soon be indoctrinated with lies from Satan.
The ideology of humanism and feminism looks "wise" to those who do not know the truth. This is Satan's trick. He coats his lies with a semblance of wisdom. They sound a good idea to the natural mind. This is how he first tempted Eve in the garden? How could you tempt someone who walked and talked with God every day? Only by making things "seem" good and wise (Genesis 3:6).
1 Corinthians 1:20, 25 says: "Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? . . . Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." Isaiah 44:25 says that He "Turns wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolishness."
Let’s be very careful where we send our children to be taught. Surely we want them to walk in truth and wisdom.
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
Painting by Sheri Dinardi
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Do you gather your family morning and evening to pray and read God's word together?
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In the midst of mandates and tyranny, we continue lifting up the powerful name of Jesus, the name that has power over all the works of the enemy.
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The following is a great poem about the value of hard work.The Mortgage and the Man
By Edgar A. Guest
This is the tale of a mortgage and a dead man and his son,
A father who left to his only child a duty that must be done.
And the neighbors said as they gathered round in the
neighbor’s curious way:
“Too bad, too bad that he left his boy so heavy a debt to pay.”
Day by day through the years that came, the mortgage held him fast-
Straight and true to his task he went, and he paid the debt at last;
And his arm grew strong, and his eye kept bright and although
he never knew,
The thing that fashioned a man of him was the task he had to do.
Honor and fortune crowned his brow till the day he came to die,
But he said: “My boy shall never work against such odds as I.
I have planned his year, I have made them safe, I have paid
his journey through.”
And the boy looked out on a world wherein there was
nothing for him to do.
His hands grew soft, and his eyes went dull, and his cheeks turned ashy pale,
For strength which isn’t employed by day, with idleness grows stale.
“He is not that man that his father was,” the neighbors often said,
“And better for him had he been left to work for his meat and bread.”
Oh, the race dies out and the clan departs, and feeble grows the son,
When they come at last to the dreadful day when all of the work is done.
For manhood dies on the roads of ease where the skies are ever blue,
And each of us needs, if we shall grow strong, some difficult thing to do.
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STOP LISTENING. GOD HAS BETTER THINGS TO TELL YOU.
A BOY AND HIS DADby Edgar A. Guest
A boy and his dad on a fishing-trip—
There is a glorious fellowship!
Father and son and the open sky
And the white clouds lazily drifting by,
And the laughing stream as it runs along
With the clicking reel like a martial song,
And the father teaching the youngster gay
How to land a fish in the sportsman's way.
I fancy I hear them talking there
In an open boat, and the speech is fair.
And the boy is learning the ways of men
From the finest man in his youthful ken.
Kings, to the youngster, cannot compare
With the gentle father who's with him there.
And the greatest mind of the human race
Not for one minute could take his place.
Which is happier, man or boy?
The soul of the father is steeped in joy,
For he's finding out, to his heart's delight,
That his son is fit for the future fight.
He is learning the glorious depths of him,
And the thoughts he thinks and his every whim;
And he shall discover, when night comes on,
How close he has grown to his little son.
A boy and his dad on a fishing-trip—
Builders of life's companionship!
Oh, I envy them, as I see them there
Under the sky in the open air,
For out of the old, old long-ago
Come the summer days that I used to know,
When I learned life's truths from my father's lips
As I shared the joy of his fishing-trips.
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Be more than his dad,
Be a chum to the lad;
Be a part of his life
Every hour of the day;
Find time to talk with him,
Take time to walk with him,
Share in his studies
And share in his play;
Take him to places,
To ball games and races.
Teach him the things
That you want him to know;
Don’t live apart from him,
Don’t keep your heart from him,
Be his best comrade,
He needs you so!
Never neglect him,
Though you, still respect him,
Hear his opinions
With patience and pride;
Show him his error,
But be not a terror,
Grim-visaged and fearful,
When he’s at your side.
Know what his thoughts are,
Know what his sports are,
Know all his playmates,
It’s easy to learn to;
Be such a father
That when troubles gather
You’ll be the first one
For counsel, he’ll turn to.
You can inspire him
With courage, and fire him
Hot with ambition
For deeds that are good;
He’ll not betray you
Nor illy repay you,
If you have taught him
The things that you should.
Father and son
Must in all things be one –
Partners in trouble
And comrades in joy.
More than a dad
Was the best pal you had;
Be such a chum
As you knew, to your boy.
By Edgar A. Guest
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The Above Rubies Ladies retreat is right on us. All Oregon and Washington lades and anyone else from anywhere are welcome.This will be our last Oregon retreat unless some other ladies decide to take up the vision. Charity, Sonia, and Julia and their families are all moving out of Oregon to other states. They will be saying goodbye to you at this retreat. It will be a special time of fellowship together.
Still time to register. Here is the information:
17 - 19 SEPTEMBER, OREGON
LADIES RETREAT AT THE CHRISTIAN RENEWAL CENTER
22444 N Fork Rd SE, Silverton, OR 97381
Questions to:
Charity Jenkins * Ph: 503 871 9535
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Or Sonia Ramsay * Ph: 503 428 7345
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Or Julia Hughes * Ph: 503-421-1669
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Hope you can make it!
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by the Scottish poet, Charles MackayYou have no enemies, you say?
Alas! my friend, the boast is poor;
He who has mingled in the fray
Of duty, that the brave endure,
Must have made foes! If you have none,
Small is the work that you have done.
You've hit no traitor on the hip,
You've dashed no cup from perjured lip,
You've never turned the wrong to right,
You've been a coward in the fight.
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Even after God gave you what you prayed for.
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
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“God has delivered our children's bodies, souls, thoughts, lives and futures into our hands. No persons can influence another's destiny more than parents can their children's. They can almost direct their children to heaven or to hell.”
~ Watchman Nee
Picture: On Dad's Shoulders by Mark Lague Oil ~ 12 x 6
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“So great is my veneration of the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society.”~ John Quincy Adams
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"The people who know their God will be strong and take action"
Daniel 11:32 (HCSB).
Fathers and mothers . . .
We are raising families of strong, moral character.
We are raising families who are well-taught on all godly, moral values.
We are raising children and young people who know their Bibles and know how to pray.
We are raising children who know how to hold their heads up and their shoulders square in the face of all opposition to righteous standards.
We are training children who know how to resist temptations to be liars, cheats, compromisers, and lazy "good for nothings."
We are training children to be movers and shakers of all that is wholesome and righteous.
We are raising young people who are not afraid of devils and demonic forces of darkness who dare to roar against us.
We are raising families who know their God and who will be strong and do exploits.
We are raising families who have stickability, persistence, and pluck.
We are raising families who are learning how to fight in the battles of life, who will never quit, or throw in the towel.
The whole world needs fathers and mothers who will be prepared to sacrifice everything to make this happen.
COLIN CAMPBELL
Painting: Carlo Bertocci (1946, Italian).
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“I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet, But they said, We will not hearken” (Jeremiah 6:17).
Ezekiel 2:10 tells us how, despite all God’s goodness, Israel had become a very rebellious nation. Ezekiel was called of God to go to them and warn them of approaching judgment.
God called them . . .
1. “”A rebellious nation”
2. “Impudent children”
3. “Stiffhearted”
“And they, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house), yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them” (Ezekiel 2:5).
In Matthew 13:9-43 Jesus says the words over again: “Who that ears to hear, let him hear.”
Revelation 1:3: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
Revelation 2:7: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches . . .”
This church of Ephesus had left their first love and were in danger of having their candlestick removed. Jesus reminded them in 2:4, 5: “Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”
We must all take heed to these words to the church at Ephesus: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Those who do hear will get to eat of the tree of life.
Revelation 3:20: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Those who hear Jesus’ knocking voice and open the door to Him will be rewarded with the joy of daily fellowshipping and supping with him.
We must learn to hear with our outer ears as well as with our inner ears.
Revelation 13 is highly prophetically possible for us today. The name of the beast and the number of his name could be forced upon us through block chain technology, coupled with the vaccination program.
I am not into conspiracy theories. However, I do want my ears to be opened to the sound of God’s trumpets. I say trumpets (plural) because God is speaking through more than one trumpet today.
We must sharpen up our senses at this time so that we will be able to discern what the trumpets are saying.
Are the trumpets speaking the truth for this hour? We cannot allow our hearing senses to be dulled. This can easily happen through lack of use (Hebrews 5:13, 14).
Daily meditating on the truths of God’s word will greatly assist our ability to discern what the trumpets are saying in this hour.
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell
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