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Good morning to everyone. Grace and Peace be with you.

How is everyone doing today? It is early and eventful in my house. Eventful for old, sleepy people, that is. I made coffee, fixed my husband’s meds, recorded his evening, walked the dog and spent some quality time in the alternative office.

Last night I was able to get the middle part of the yard mowed before I lost daylight and today I will finish. Now, normally, my yard is done in one sitting. However, this week, that has not been the case. With borrowing a mower, I had to wait to get it back and because I borrowed it, I did my obligation to his other property first. I could have waited and done mine all in one stint, but I was having fun. Haha.

So, I have a question for you. How do you decompress? Do you go for a walk/run? Do you dive into a good story? Is it television and snacks? Is there a hobby that you enjoy that helps reset your thoughts? How do you deal with the day’s events as they unfold and/or when you are thinking about them at the end of the day?

For me, obviously, writing is one avenue that I take. Another is mowing—another is music. Of course, there are my phone games … little addictive boogers.

Have you considered prayer as a route of decompression?

A quick research of how many times it is recorded that Jesus prayed is over 25 times. A finer search shows that He withdrew at least seven times to pray. Meaning that he went away alone to pray.

Now, if the Son of God, who came to earth as a human to demonstrate what He wanted us to do, left his pals, his family, his associates to pray and ‘decompress’ with God … don’t you think it might just work for us?

Over the years, in order to make prayer sound OVER important, it has been made out that you need to have a large vocabulary of fancy words and beautiful songs of words that float through the air like a cloud. However, if you read about Jesus’ account in Gethsemane … that was not flowery words … that was “Hey Dad, is there another way we can take care of this plan of Yours? If there is, can we do that instead? Hey, but if there isn’t … I understand.” Jesus was on his face, sweating and pouring out his soul to the Father, pleading for a different solution to this problem. He had become very close to His disciples and the weight of what was going to happen fell on him like a ton of bricks. He felt the burden of His assignment in full force. If the Son of man cried out to God on multiple occasions, would it not seem relevant that we would too?

The enemy would have us believe that if we cannot ‘fix’ or ‘accomplish’ something on our own, that we are weak and worthless. On the contrary, knowing that we have an avenue to strength and power, and then exercising that invitation to sit with Him, settles us and empowers us to persevere. I have confessed many times on here that my prayer life has not been the best. It is improving, however, and I can physically feel His presence as I calm from the day’s events or as I enter the day’s events. Coming from someone who routinely falls down, prayer has given me such strength to continue to take one step at a time each day.

As today unfolds, as the events begin to swallow you whole, as the world tries to dictate your mood, remember that there is One who is always there and willing to listen. Go to Him. Pour out your soul to Him. Cry to Him. Plead with Him. And know that if the answer is not what YOU wanted, that there must be a higher cause. Jesus was not released from his commitment to die on the cross; he accepted it and used it as the way to unlock the doors of death and defeat Satan. What powerful use of your turmoil lies beyond your vision that will help someone in the long run? Release your anguish to the Father and embrace your chosen status, knowing that you were picked to set the tone for someone else in a similar situation.

Be blessed.

**My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. – Matthew 26:38-39

Morning friends. I was the recipient of a “Small Act of Kindness” yesterday. It made me realize that kindness is really just paying attention out loud. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31) Kindness begins when we notice. Notice the person sitting alone. Notice the tired eyes behind the smile. Notice the friend who stopped reaching out. Notice the waitress who looks exhausted. Notice the stranger carrying a burden nobody can see. Then, do something. Make the call. Give the hug. Speak the encouragement. Offer the prayer. Say, “I see you. You matter to me.” Kindness truly is just paying attention out loud. God has placed people in our path who need more than our good intentions. They need us to see them, hear them, and love them in a way they can feel. Jesus noticed Zacchaeus in the tree. He noticed Bartimaeus crying out. He noticed the lonely, the hurting, and the forgotten. Today, slow down long enough to notice somebody. You may be the answer to a prayer they haven’t found the courage to pray. And when we notice people, we give them a glimpse of Jesus. How bout we go love on some folks today? Y’all have a blessed day. Love ya. Pappy Flynn

https://lordsbook.com/pages/nepal
https://lordsbook.com/pages/Sendnepal2025
* I am unsure who launched these pages but I know that we have several Lordsbook members who are Nepalis.
If YOU launched one or both of this pages, or you are Nepali, please Post some news about yourself; family members and allow us to join you in prayer concerning this terrible latest event of the Glacier collapse and subsequent major flooding.
यो पेज कसले सुरु गरेको हो भन्ने मलाई पक्का थाहा छैन, तर मलाई थाहा छ कि 'लर्ड्सबुक' (Lordsbook) का धेरै सदस्यहरू नेपाली हुनुहुन्छ।
यदि तपाईंले नै यो पेज सुरु गर्नुभएको हो भने, कृपया आफ्नो र आफ्नो परिवारका सदस्यहरूबारे केही जानकारी वा समाचार पोस्ट गर्नुहोस्। साथै, हिमनदी खस्ने घटना र त्यसपछिको भीषण बाढीको यस दुःखद घटनाका सम्बन्धमा प्रार्थनामा तपाईंसँगै सामेल हुने अवसर हामीलाई दिनुहोस्।
Yō pēja kasalē suru garēkō hō bhannē malā'ī pakkā thāhā chaina, tara malā'ī thāhā cha ki'larḍsabuka' (Lordsbook) kā dhērai sadasyaharū nēpālī hunuhuncha.
Yadi tapā'īnlē nai yō pēja suru garnubha'ēkō hō bhanē, kr̥payā āphnō ra āphnō parivārakā sadasyaharūbārē kēhī jānakārī vā samācāra pōsṭa garnuhōs. Sāthai, himanadī khasnē ghaṭanā ra tyasapachikō bhīṣaṇa bāḍhīkō yasa duḥkhada ghaṭanākā sambandhamā prārthanāmā tapā'īnsam̐gai sāmēla hunē avasara hāmīlā'ī dinuhōs.

* Growth: Christianity is growing quickly. Christians make up about 4.4% of the population, with many new believers coming from indigenous groups and lower castes.Challenges: Nepal passed a strict anti-conversion law in 2017. Believers face pressure from Hindu extremists, local communities, and government restrictions.Culture: Many believers live in remote mountain areas where people prefer listening over reading, making audio devices very helpful.

Guidelines for living.
August 27, 2026

Why You Should Cultivate Excellence in Your Life

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15



The greatest accomplishments in life - believe it or not - are made not by the smartest people in the world but by those who didn't know enough to quit. They were the ones who kept trying, kept plodding, kept practicing, who kept investigating until they stumbled onto success. That fact was driven home to me when I was studying in the university. There were two men in my classes who were geniuses. Their IQs were way up there. At the end of a class, they slapped their books shut and generally didn't open them. They were smart.

Frankly, I was among those who had to dig it out. People thought I was really gifted; no, I just knew how to work and to study. My parents spent hard earned money and sent me to school to study, not party. I knew why I was there and I made the most of the opportunity.

Learning to apply myself was something I happened to grow up with, but everybody didn't have a dad who cut the handles off of brooms, making them short enough for me to use as a kid, or has you work alongside him. But you can learn to work. You can develop discipline yourself. You can set goals and eventually reach them.

One of my heroes was Sir Edmund Hillary, who along with his Sherpa guide, Tensing, crested Mount Everest for the first time. Awesome achievement, and that before a lot of high-tech gear which climbers use today. When asked how he accomplished this when others had failed, he replied that when he was tempted to turn back, he took just one more step.

William Carey, the father of modern missions, said that his greatest ability was to plod in the face of adversity. When Thomas Edison had tried 10,000 ways to produce an incandescent globe and hadn't succeeded, he was urged to quit. He responded that he had found 10,000 ways that wouldn't work. And he would eventually find one that did. He did! I've sometimes wondered how many determined, stubborn individuals we have today with that same tenacity.

The foundation of our modern achievements was laid by thousands of unknown individuals who lived in obscurity and died unknown, who faithfully contributed to what has enabled us to send men to the moon, to circle the globe with communication, and to accomplish great and mighty things through technology and science. They laid the foundation; we have built upon their research, hard work, and trial and error. Their strength and energy, like a gradually falling barometer, were meted out in hard work, years of often-unrecognized service, and yes, blood, sweat and tears. But they did not quit. They did not look for something with less work and more money attached to it.

I've been told that in an European Cathedral, high in the rafters where no one ever goes, are some intricate carvings of exquisite beauty, done by a master craftsman whose name has long since been lost to posterity. Why did he take time to do some of his finest work, using an abutment of wood that will never be seen by the public? He valued excellence. He took seriously the admonition of the Bible that instructs: "Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom" (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Cultivate excellence. Make it a passion. Refuse to let the world and our culture shove you into the mold of mediocrity. Thank God for teachers who inspire excellence, for mothers who have the patience to bring the best out of their children, for dads who have the patience to teach a little boy how to do something. Do it, friend. Someday, you will be very glad you did.

Resource Reading: Ecclesiastes 9:1-10

Did you know?
In 1868, a Japanese samurai named Takuma Sawabe confronted the Christian missionary Nicholas with one purpose: to kill him for preaching Christ. But Nicholas did not respond with fear. He calmly asked Sawabe to listen to the Gospel first and then make his decision. Sawabe listened—and something remarkable happened. The man who had come prepared to kill a Christian missionary became convinced by the message of Jesus Christ. In April 1868, he was baptized and took the name Paul.

Paul Sawabe didn’t simply change his mind about Christianity. His entire life changed direction. He went on to become Japan’s first native Christian priest and risked his life preaching Christ to his own people. Nicholas translated Christian writings into Japanese and helped establish a Christian mission in Japan, where Christianity had once been forbidden. Thousands of Japanese eventually embraced the Christian faith as the Gospel spread throughout the country.

This is what makes Sawabe’s story so remarkable. He did not begin as a seeker looking for Christianity. He came as an enemy intending to kill one of its missionaries. Yet after hearing the Gospel, he became a follower of Christ and devoted his life to proclaiming the very faith he had once opposed. The samurai who once wanted to kill a Christian missionary became a priest of Christ.

The Advent Truth.
There is a difference between struggling with sin and settling into sin.

A struggle means there is a WAR. You fall, you hate that you fell, you confess it, you get back up, and by the grace of Christ you keep fighting. “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again” (Proverbs 24:16).

But we need to stop calling deliberate, planned, cherished disobedience a “struggle” simply because the word makes us feel better about it.

Jesus did not die merely to forgive us while leaving us enslaved to the very sins that nailed Him to the cross. The angel said, “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Grace does not make sin safe.

Paul asked the question plainly: “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid” (Romans 6:1-2).

Biblical repentance is more than feeling guilty afterward. It is a change of mind that produces a change of direction. Yes, Christians can stumble. Yes, Christians can have deeply rooted sins that take earnest warfare, prayer, discipline, and dependence upon Christ to overcome. But there is an enormous difference between falling in battle and making peace with the enemy.

God knows the difference.

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

And here is the good news: you do not have to remain a slave.

Jesus says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Don't lower God's standard because you've fallen short of it. Run to Christ. Confess it. Forsake it. Get back up. Surrender again.

We don't need a gospel that teaches us how to become comfortable in bondage.

We need the Gospel that sets captives free.

A Nugget of Truth.
THE LAW OF GOD WILL BE THE STANDARD OF JUDGMENT

Christ did not teach His followers to run from the Scriptures. He repeatedly appealed to the Word of God.

Jesus said, “Have ye not read in the scriptures?” (Matthew 21:42). He also declared, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

Paul did the same. He said, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). He also taught that “the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12).

The apostles did not teach believers that God’s Law had become meaningless. John wrote, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3). He further declared, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

So why does much of Christianity today suddenly declare that God’s Law is no longer binding?

Could it be because people want Christ without His commandments? Grace without obedience? Faith without transformation?

We must be careful. We cannot reject a commandment simply because we do not want to obey it.

And when the world stands before God in judgment, human opinions will not be the standard.

The Bible says, “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty” (James 2:12).

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 gives the solemn conclusion:

“Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment.”

Judgment is coming. The question is not, “What does my church say?”

The question is: What has God said?

The Law does not save us. Christ saves us. But the grace that saves us does not teach us to despise the Law of the God who saved us.

When God judges, His Word—not our traditions, preferences, or excuses—will have the final authority.

Do not run from God’s Law because you are uncomfortable with one of its commandments. Search the Scriptures. Test everything by the Word of God.

Christ is our Savior. His Word is our standard. And judgment is certain.

Amazing Love

Daily Devotional
Be eyes to the blind; Feet to the lame.

I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. Job 29:15

Watch carefully, prayerfully, conscientiously, lest the mind become so engrossed with many important business transactions that true godliness is overlooked and love is quenched from the soul, notwithstanding the great and pitiful need of your being God’s helping hand to the blind and to all others who are unfortunate. The most friendless demand the most attention. Use your time and strength in learning to be “fervent in spirit,” to deal justly, and to love mercy, “serving the Lord.” Remember that Christ says, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.”

God requires His people to be far more pitiful and considerate of the unfortunate than they are.... God requires that the same consideration which should be given to the widow and fatherless be given to the blind and to those suffering under the affliction of other physical infirmities. Disinterested benevolence is very rare in this age of the world.... It is strange that professed Christian men should disregard the plain, positive teachings of the Word of God and feel no compunction of conscience. God places upon them the responsibility of caring for the unfortunate, the blind, the lame, the widow, and the fatherless; but many make no effort to regard it.

There is a great work to be done in our world, and as we approach the close of earth’s history, it does not lessen in the least degree; but when the perfect love of God is in the heart, wonderful things will be done. [244]