My part of the country is currently experiencing a severe drought. Water use is being restricted in surrounding communities, Independence Day firework displays are being cancelled, and brushfires are appearing left and right. We’re not necessarily in a state of panic yet since our life doesn’t depend on the success of our garden and drinking water is still easily accessible, but a 107° day with an even hotter forecast still ahead is enough to catch anybody’s attention.

Fortunately, the local media and governments are doing their part to make sure everybody understands their responsibilities during the drought. No unnecessary water usage, no bonfires and, as long as the excessive heat wave persists, no avoidable outdoor activity. Rain has basically been a stranger to our area for several weeks now and shows no signs of returning any time soon.

A drought of this size and intensity can hardly go unnoticed, especially when farmers play a significant role in your state’s economy. Is it possible, though, that we find it easier to worry about these natural inconveniences than our own spiritual health? How come rainfall totals can headline every newscast for a week straight, while the average person goes about their everyday life seemingly indifferent to their spiritual depravity and need for living water (John 4:10)? It’s not because either of the two are more apparent than the other; our nation has simply contented itself with ungodliness for so long that we’ve stopped seeing the need for it.

“My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”

-Psalm 42:2

However much our country’s need for God may be underestimated, we cannot afford to overlook the need for more of Him in our lives. He’s the only one capable of providing our spiritual needs and refreshing the dry and thirsty ground we’ve become so used to walking on. Just as the leaves of an old oak tree stretch toward the sky when in desperate need of rain, the solution to our barrenness can only be found by looking up.

The following is the speech I delivered on 5/19/12 at my homeschool graduation ceremony:  

“Thank you everybody for coming. I’ve been extremely encouraged over the past several weeks as so many of you have offered your prayers and words of encouragement as I enter this new and exciting chapter of my life.

I remember starting school 13 years ago and thinking of this day as if it was an eternity away. Things like driving a car, having a job, and standing here today receiving my high school diploma were all things I looked forward to, but I could hardly imagine what life would be like without my daily studies and summer vacation. Life has changed drastically for me over the past twelve months, and I realize this trend will only continue over the next several years. Yet unlike many graduates, I don’t fear what lies ahead; instead, I am excited to learn what blessings God has in store for me as an adult and trust His promise in Jeremiah 29:11 applies to me: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end.”

In 1 Corinthians 13:11, Paul wrote “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” As I’ve prepared for this day and new season of my life, this is one verse God has reminded me of time and time again. I understand that many of the things I’ve become accustomed to throughout my school years will no longer apply to me as an adult, such as the privilege of having an answer book to explain everything I don’t understand. Life will no doubt present me with many challenging situations throughout my future, but I resolve today to trust God in those times to fulfill His promise in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths.

Of course the accomplishment of my graduation would not even be a reality without the patience and determination of my mother over these past 13 years. She has taught me everything from learning how to read to learning how to tie my shoelace, and she deserves all of the credit for making this day a reality. I can’t begin to describe how much I appreciate her faithfulness to me and to the calling God has placed on her life to homeschool me and my sister.

I would also like to thank my sister, Bethany, for being a great sister and classmate; my aunt Shelley for coordinating so many great homeschool events with our local homeschool group; the Homeschool Foundation; and our state government for acknowledging the right of parents to educate their children at home.

Again, you’ll never know what your prayers have meant to me over these past several months and what it means to me to know I can count on your prayers in my future. I pray and trust that the days ahead will be as blessed as days gone by, and I thank God for the assurance that He will be with me every step of the way.”

Wow. I just saw this video and it’s very possibly the most anointed three-minute sermon I’ve ever heard. There are no words to describe the glory of our Savior, but this man comes as close as any man can. Watch and be blessed.

Two years ago today, A Look at Life from a Deerstand was born. It would be four long months before I received a comment from anyone besides family, and over a year until I reached 100 followers. I poured my heart into this blog every day, and yet at first the rewards of this effort were delayed.

Since that time, I’ve been astounded at how many visitors have discovered this little piece of cyberspace (3,581 unique visitors and counting!), and even more amazed at how often my efforts to encourage others have turned into a direct blessing to my own soul. Every time I see a new word of encouragement posted at the end of my most recent devotional, or receive an e-mail from a new follower, I’m encouraged with the thought that this work has truly been worth however much time it’s required.

None of this would possible without God and His miraculous grace, or worth it without my amazing readers from all over the world. This simple blog has been displayed in all 50 states and over 60 countries including Tanzania, Indonesia, Thailand, Morocco, Egypt and Spain. Only the Lord can be credited for taking the restricted message of Christianity into the home of someone in Cairo who may never read another Scripture in his life! The only thing that could make this better is to know it pleased God to make room for this simple website in His grand plan of spreading the Gospel.

I know that I’ve been unable to post as frequently as I did 12 months ago, but I still rejoice in the blessing of my readers and take every word I type seriously. I can’t say what the next year will hold, but can only hope it will be as great as the last two have been and that you’ll be along for the ride!

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

                -Jeremiah 29:11

As do all young people, I spent a good part of my earlier youth looking forward to the privileges that come along with being an adult. I wanted to drive my own car, work at my own job, and fill those numerous credit card slots which lined the inside of my wallet. Ordering something off of TV would be the next step, of course, though I can’t really think of anything I’m just dying to have four of at the moment. (Am I the only one who’s noticed you can never buy just one of anything anymore?)

Even if you never shared those exact ambitions, I’m sure you can remember what it was like having your own list of things to do on that day when you finally grew up. For most of us that day came much sooner than we ever dreamed and we suddenly found ourselves faced with a handful of privileges and a truckload full of new responsibilities. In my own experience, those boring typing lessons from 6th grade suddenly became a valuable asset to take with me as I looked for my first job, while getting  credit card has been officially been marked off of my to-do list. Simply put, preparing for future responsibilities has proven far more important than buying that dream car or owning a checkbook.

Now, for all of you nodding in agreement, consider this:

What aspect of your current future do you most look forward to? Owning a home? Getting married? Taking your son to Little League practice? For every privilege you hope to one day lay claim to there’s at least a dozen more responsibilities which will come along with it. You say you can’t wait to be a mother, but are you really strong enough to bear the unique responsibility of parenthood?

With all the uncertainties inherent to planning one’s future, one thing is absolutely certain: just as suddenly as you found yourself driving that new car or casting your first ballot, so, too, will you find yourself a spouse, a grandparent, or retiree. Waiting until tomorrow before preparing for it leaves a person with very little time to get ready and is a mistake none of us can afford to make. Are you prepared?

In the U.S. if you destroy an Eagle's egg – that's an embryo –  it is a federal crime punishable by more than 10 years jail time and a $250,000 fine. Destroy a human embryo and it’s federally funded.

If someone shows no respect for the life of an infant should it come as any surprise when they don’t respect you? Vote pro-life.

Beware of Terrorist Groups in Church.  Latest news reports are that five terrorist cell groups have been operating in many of our churches. They have been identified as: Bin Sleepin, Bin Arguin, Bin Fightin, Bin Complainin, and Bin Missin. Their leader, Lucifer Bin Workin, trained these groups to destroy the Body of Christ.

The plan is to come into the church disguised as Christians and to work within the church to discourage, disrupt, and destroy. However, there have been reports of a sixth group. A tiny cell known by the name Bin Prayin is actually one of the most effective counter terrorism force in the church. Unlike other terrorist cells, the Bin Prayin team does not blend in with whoever and whatever comes along.

Bin Prayin does whatever is needed to uplift and encourage the Body of Christ. We have noticed that the Bin Prayin cell group has different characteristics than the others. They have Bin Watchin, Bin Waitin, Bin Fastin, and Bin Longin for their Master, Jesus Christ to return. NO CHURCH IS EXEMPT! (However, you can spot them if you bin lookin and bin goin.)

Yes, I’ll get back to my series later this week. I just thought I’d share this in the meantime.

Hey everybody! I just wanted to take a few minutes and let you know about this really great summer project my friend Camden has put together with his friends. It’s called called Do: Living Water. Here’s a little bit of info about what they do that I copied from their website:

We aren't really an organization, just a couple of teens passionate about seeing change in the world. We aren't radical visionaries, but God showed us a problem in the world, and He showed us how to change it. Now we want to offer what we've experienced to others, a chance for the younger generation to rise up and change the world through a simple carwash.

Do: Living Water hosts student-led fundraising initiatives such as carwashes to raise money to dig wells in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We do this through partnership with TouchGlobal, the compassion ministry of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA).

In the Congo, Do: Living Water is invested in the Northwest corner of the DRC, in the Ubangi region. Two specific locations where DLW works are Tandala Hospital and the Elikya Training Center.

Basically, the idea behind their efforts is to bring fresh water to those who have none – a necessity most of us take for granted. If you’ve been looking for a way to get involved in overseas mission work, then please let me urge you to click over to their website and respond in whatever the Lord leads you. As Jesus reminded us in Matthew 10:42, “…whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

            -James 5:16

Over the past two years, it seems as if we’ve made it a family tradition that at least one loved one must be in the hospital at Easter time. Last year it was my grandma with severe nosebleeds, and this year it’s my Great Grandma with a broken leg and heart trouble. Here’s what happened:

Yesterday we were over at my cousins’ home celebrating Easter when, right before we were about to eat, somebody called to let us know that they’d found my Great Grandma lying in the floor with a broken leg. Apparently she had issues with her phone at the time and was unable to call for help, and thus had to lie there in pain for five hours before someone arrived to check on her. Normally they would’ve found her before church, but since their services were cancelled due to flooding it was near or after noon before she was helped.

Anyway, they quickly called an ambulance and were later told she would need immediate surgery to correct a broken femur with metal screws. The surgery didn’t start until much later in the day, but when it was all finally finished they noticed irregular heart patterns resulting from the surgery which has given them a whole new level of concern. From what I’ve been told, her mechanical heart beat is doing just fine, while her electric heart beat has been very abnormal.

We’ll be going down to the hospital later this afternoon, but I still wanted to pass along this prayer request to you guys since she is 80 years old and hasn't been in the best of health apart from this anyway. Please ask God to touch her body and relieve any pain, but, most importantly, pray that His will would be done and Himself be glorified. We must realize that God has a purpose in this and believe that “all things work together for good to them that love God.”   (Romans 8:28)

UPDATE: Thanks everybody for praying! My Great Grandma is home from the hospital now, but is still in need of periodic visits from nurses and physical therapists in addition to constant care from family members. She still has a long road of recovery ahead of her as she tries to regain her mobility, so please continue to remember her in your prayers.

“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.”

          -Proverbs 15:13

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Q: Which Old Testament character was known for having a foul mouth at a young age?

A: Job - He cursed the day he was born. (Job 3:1)

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Q: Where is baseball mentioned in the Bible?

A: - In the big inning (Genesis 1:1)
    - Genesis 3:6- Eve stole first and Adam stole second
    - Numbers 11:32 "Ten homers"

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Q: What man in the Bible had no parents?

A: Joshua, the son of Nun

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Q: If Moses were alive today, why would he be considered a remarkable man?

A: Because he would be several thousand years old.

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Q: How do we know that Job went to a chiropractor?

A: Because of Job 16:12, "I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces…”

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Q: What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer lived in Eden?

A: Your mother ate us out of house and home.

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Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?

A. Pharaoh’s daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.

“And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”

                                                      -Luke 21:11

By now I’m sure you’ve all seen the news headlines of the enormous earthquake in Japan. It topped the Richter Scale at 8.9 which is about as big as they get, and nearly 3,000 have already been confirmed dead with many still missing. This was no ordinary earthquake and shouldn’t be treated like one. Millions (think about that number for a minute) are in need of food, water, and other basic essentials  most of us have never had to live a day without. Meanwhile, with no telephone lines or internet access, a large part of them still have to worry about whether or not their friends and family made it through alive. They are going through the darkest moments of their life and looking to us for help.

So what do we do?

First of all, pray….right now. Don’t wait until you’re done reading this post and give yourself the opportunity to forget; stop right where you are and pray. Pray for their broken homes and broken hearts. Pray for those in charge of relief efforts and that they would do their job as efficiently as possible. Pray for those mourning the loss of their parents, their children, and their best friends. Those are wounds the Red Cross simply can’t fix.

Secondly, if God has blessed you with more than you honestly need, let me urge you to seriously consider getting involved tangibly (see II Corinthians 8:14). I know we tend to be skeptical of charities and other organizations that ask for our hard-earned cash, but we can’t spend all of our time questioning their integrity while losing ours in the process. There are many honest and faith-based organizations that truly care about meeting the needs of the broken and will not misuse your donation. I’m sure none of us would hesitate to give if it was our family that was starving to death.

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

                                                       -James 2:17

This tragedy is the perfect opportunity to prove the faith we’re so quick to profess. Yes, the Lord said He is a father to the fatherless and a defender of the poor (Psalm 10:14; Deuteronomy 24:15); but it is only through His body that His light can shine in this world (I Corinthians 12:27; Matthew 5:14). We can’t sit back and wait for someone else to move when God is calling us to.

Most people don’t know this, but Google Friend Connect has a really awesome feature that allows you to send newsletters to your blog’s subscribers via e-mail. I came across this feature a while back and thought it was pretty cool, but it wasn’t until Monday night that I utilized it for the first time and sent a message to 176 of my readers reminding you not to hesitate in sending me your prayer requests. Apparently, if you have somewhat lenient privacy settings you were automatically subscribed to any updates when you followed this blog, while those who have especially strict settings were not.

Anyway, I’ve decided to start sending out a periodic “newsletter” (for lack of a better term) once or twice a month that will consist of anything from prayer requests to recommended blogs and encouragement from Scripture. As I mentioned, around 80% of you are already subscribed to these updates, so you probably won’t find it necessary to subscribe manually; but if you do, simply find the appropriate widget on my sidebar and click subscribe. If you decide later on that you would like to cancel your subscription, just come back here and click unsubscribe or do so from your inbox. It’s that simple.

Unfortunately, there is no way for me to manually add your e-mail address to my list of subscribers or even to see exactly who my updates are sent to. This means you must have a Google account to subscribe and that any “sign-me-up” comments won’t do much good. On the other hand, Google makes it very simple for you to create an account with them and it will only take up a few seconds of your time to do so. Once you’re finished, just return here and follow the steps above to begin receiving my newsletter. As I mentioned, it will be sent out very periodically so don’t think something went wrong if you don’t receive anything right away. I just thought it would be a great way of passing along more important messages without having to worrying whether everybody saw it or not. Let me know what you think!

Okay, I’m excited. I was visiting someone’s blog this evening and, as I hovered over the Scriptures referenced on their page, a small pop-up window appeared that allowed me to read the verse myself without ever leaving their site. I thought it was pretty cool, until I realized the potential of implementing such a feature here at A Look at Life from a Deerstand – then it became really cool! I immediately headed over to Reftagger.com to find out how I could add this awesome program to my own site.

Anyway, after messing around with it for a while, I’m thrilled to announce that you can now view every Scripture reference I use right here without ever touching a button. Just hover over the text itself (ex. John 3:16), and it will pop right up in a convenient little box and even allow you to click over to Biblia.com and read the context of the passage. Pretty neat, huh?

But, as exciting as it is, there are a couple strings attached that I should probably mention. First of all, when viewing my old posts, you’ll still have to click over to the online Bible I’ve been linking to in the past for most of the verses. For some reason, Reftagger wouldn’t pick up on references enclosed in parentheses and I currently have to override the system to make it work in those cases - something that would take a long time to do in each of my old posts. Second of all, if you’re viewing this post from your inbox, you’ll probably still have to click on all the links manually and read the passage in a separate window. Sorry about that, but I don’t think Reftagger supports e-mail formatting.

Either way, I’m really happy about this new feature and I hope it makes it easier for each of you to dig into God’s Word right here on my blog. Let me know what you think!

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Hey everybody. I just wanted to let you guys know that I finished working on my new blog button this evening and it’s ready to be imbedded! All you have to do is add the above code to the sidebar of your blog  (create an HTML widget first), and the above image will show up and link back to this site whenever somebody clicks on it. Any takers?

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus; there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.

The above is a short video I put together last night with some of my free time, and I hope you’ll enjoy watching it. Whether it will have the same effect on you or not I don’t know but, at least for me, it really draws me into a spirit of worship and reminds me of our Creator’s majesty.

Call me Charlie Brown, but every Christmas season I attempt to discover true meaning in a holiday that has become quite shallow by modern definition. Over the past few years especially, it seems the holiday season has become nothing more than a full-scale assault on our bank accounts, and a time when businesses all over the country try to balance out their annual figures with sales that have people turning violent just to save a few dollars. A time originally intended to celebrate family, generosity and, above all, Christ, has now turned into a time of greed and materialism for many people across the world.

Now don’t get me wrong. I already know the true meaning of Christmas, but, at least for me, that meaning is something you must rediscover on a yearly basis in order to fully appreciate it. It’s easy to fool ourselves into believing that we “understand Christmas” just because we have a nativity set in our living room, yet still miss out on the blessings God has for His children during this special time of year.

Yesterday evening, as I was trudging through the Christmas snow, I found myself singing the song “How Many Kings” by Downhere. It’s a song I’ve sung many times, but it doesn’t always sink in. Yesterday was different, though, and I was overwhelmed with a sense of joy as I sung out, “How many kings stepped down from their thrones? How many Lords have abandoned their homes? How many greats have become the least for me? How many gods have poured on their heart to romance a world that is torn all apart? How many fathers gave up their son for me?”

Only One has ever given of himself so completely and so freely as Christ did. He didn’t just sacrifice Himself one time while dying on a cross;  He gave His life away every day of those 33 years He walked this earth. He did what no one else had ever, would ever, or could ever do: He saved us. That, my friend, is the true meaning of Christmas.

“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

                         -James 2:14-17

No, I haven’t forgotten about the post I promised you on the definition of Christianity! In fact, I have it partially drafted already and just need to finish working on it. I hope to have it live by tomorrow evening, so be checking back soon!

I thought, though, that in the meantime you guys might enjoy this video I put together with some of my nature photos  set to music by Chris Tomlin. After all, who doesn’t like Chris Tomlin? Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. You might consider checking out my photography blog by clicking the button on my sidebar if so.