Day 214 Remembering

 

8/2/2025 

"Yet You, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay,

You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand."

Isaiah 64:8

 

We began the morning prayer call sharing Communion, remembering the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus. I love to share Communion, and I have often done so alone, remembering, as if I could ever forget what He has done for me. Each Shabbat we celebrate the Lord with the prayers and blessings of Kiddish, partaking of the bread and the wine or grape juice. I love to sing the blessings, and Saturdays have taken on special meaning since I began to spend time in fellowship with those of like mind. I now have renewed vigor in attending church locally on Sundays, as I feel I have finally found a place to call home. 

As mentioned yesterday in my post, today begins the observance of the Ninth of Av, a time of fasting and mourning as Israel remembers the destruction of the two temples, the first by the Babylonians, and much later, the second by the Romans, both on this day in history. During this time the nation reads from the book of Lamentations written by the prophet Jeremiah, who witnessed the destruction of the first temple and the exile of the Jewish people. The Torah portion for today is found in Deuteronomy, as Moses begins his final journey with the people of Israel, reminding them again, reviewing the words of the Lord, so that the people would remember that they are the chosen people of God, set apart for a purpose to be a light to the Gentiles. When the Law was given to the people at Mount Sinai, the people heard God speak and saw the thunder and lightning and witnessed the cloud of His presence on the top of the mountain as He spoke with Moses, and as He wrote the commandments on tablets of stone. During the 40 years as they wandered in the desert, because of their unbelief, the Lord had been present in the cloud by day and the fire by night. He had met with Moses in the tent of meeting where His glory covered the tent. But now, as they prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses would not be going with them. He and Aaron sinned against God, so they, like the generation of those who revolted and died in the wilderness, would not be allowed to enter the land. Aaron had already died, but now, before his death, Moses is reminding them again of who they are and who they are called to be as witnesses of a Holy God. This was a new generation, many who had not experienced all their parents had witnessed. Once they entered the land, God would no longer accompany them in the cloud and fire. Joshua was chosen as the next leader, and he was called to go in and occupy the land. God would be with Joshua, and He would be with the people, but no longer would it be as it was with Moses with whom God spoke face to face.

Today, it is so important that we train up our children in the way they are to live their lives. As parents, as church leaders, we have always been responsible to train our children in the ways of God, so that they will grow up to fear the Lord, grow in wisdom and understanding, and lead their families and the world in righteousness, justice, and with integrity. Sadly, we have fallen short of this responsibility. There are so many broken families, single parents, or absentee parents. They used to be call "latch key" when my children were growing up. Now they are becoming companions of AI and other technologies are their parents, and in some instances, their gods. While I understand the need of many parents who both have to work, it does not remove the necessity of safeguarding the welfare of our children. Many single mothers do not have families who can assist them with the care of their children when they work, and this is one reason why there have been so many abortions. I blame the church in large part, because I do believe that if we stepped up and did as the early church in the book of Acts taught, there would be less homelessness, less orphans, and less abortions. If we would walk beside and train the children from the start, perhaps they would not feel the need to find love and acceptance in the wrong way and in wrong places. Even young men need to be taught their roles as the heads of their homes, so that they can lead with authority and the strength of God's power, wives submitting in love and respect, children likewise. This is not a fairy tale existence, a pipe dream, it happens in homes where there are strong, Bible-teaching churches and discipleship for men. Not the watered down version, but the word by word truth as spoken by God, the prophets, the apostles, and taught by our Lord Jesus Himself. Where are the Promise Keepers of yesterday, the ministry that guided the men in their marriages?! We need to do better.

I realize that nothing is perfect, as I am living proof of the breakdown of a family unit. I am not alone, if more were willing to mention their shortcomings, their need for support, thing may be different. I wish it had been so for me, but sadly, the church failed when I cried out and begged for support, but that is forgiven and in the past. Now we go forward. I have spoken so many times of my life. I grew up in the church, learning the word of God, memorizing it, and I spent my time attending church events. My teachers in school were members of the same church I attended in large part. I was protected, encouraged, and strengthened. Our Librarian was a Christian, a member of my church, and she was friends of my grandparents, so we were very close. She nurtured my love for reading and learning, and she walked me through the library, helped me choose the appropriate books, discussed them with me. She may have been the one who introduced me to all the missionary books available at Central Baptist Church, because I think I read every one of them, begging for more. No child could have had a better teacher and friend than Mildred Green. I wish she were still alive, so I could tell her how I feel. Even as a young adult I would visit her with my grandmother, as I would with other spiritual mothers from our church. Mary Creath, was my fourth grade elementary teacher, who was also a member of our church, and my teacher in Sunbeams, a church group that met one day a week after school. Her husband, William F. Creath, was our school principal, and a deacon in the church. Like I said before, I was surrounded and protected by a great army of people who loved and cared for me. This is the testimony of others I am sure.

Thus the importance of teaching and remembering all that the Lord has done for us. May this become a daily part of your family's life and testimony. Nurture and guide your children, so that they can grow up to become strong witnesses of the goodness of the Lord. So they can be leaders who walk beside and teach others how to be honest, strong and productive citizens so desperately needed in our world today.