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FAITH FAMILY ADVENTURE SHORT ANSWERS

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Monday, April 26, 2010

Ruler, Guardian, Guide, and Stay

This morning in my scripture study I sang the hymn "God of Our Fathers, Whose Almighty Hand." As I pondered the words of the hymn, one line in particular stood out to me: "Be thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide, and Stay." I like that list and I thought a bit about what each descriptor meant:

  • Ruler: Governor, king, judge; one who establishes and enforces laws, who makes judgments in behalf of the people
  • Guardian: Protector; one who guards against enemies and evil
  • Guide: Leader and mentor; one who shows the way and helps us make decisions
  • Stay: Support, stabilizer, grounding mechanism; the ropes that keep a mast in place on a ship; one who sustains, strengthens, and helps us stand through wind and storm


That is a great list of the things we should allow God to do for each of us. But it's instructive to remember that this hymn was written for a national celebration--the 1876 U.S. centennial. So while this list has good individual application, it was intended here for national purposes; it is a plea for God to be our nation's ruler, guardian, guide, and stay.

Sadly, as a nation we seem to be turning against having God serve those purposes for us. We are certainly not following his rule; as a people, we do not obey his laws very well, and blatant sin runs rampant in our society. It does not appear that we seek his guidance in our national decisions very well, nor do we "stay" or rely on him for support as we should. We turn to philosophy, reason, and debate in our decisions, which is good, but do we add heavenly guidance to the equation? We still tend to hope God will be our guardian, but without having him to be our ruler, guide, and stay, any request for him to protect us rings a little hollow.

It seems to me that if we wish to enjoy the continued heavenly protection and support we have enjoyed for so long, we need to return God to his place as our ruler and guide. We need to teach and adhere to high moral standards and we need to seek and follow God's guidance more frequently.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Churro Roll-Ups

After dinner tonight we made up a new dessert: Churro Roll-Ups. Lizzy was the primary creator, with Christine and I serving as consultants and cooking staff. The inspiration was, of course, churros, but making real churros seemed too complicated, so we improvised. Churro Roll-Ups are very yummy, though also rather messy.

Below is the recipe. And of course, every good recipe needs a photo, so Lizzy conducted a photo shoot. At the bottom is a slideshow of her churro photography.

Churro Roll-Ups

Ingredients:

  • Tortillas
  • Peanut butter
  • Honey
  • Melted butter
  • Cinnamon and sugar

    Directions:

    Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on an open tortilla; top with another thin layer of honey. Roll the tortilla so it looks like a roll of paper (approximately the shape of a churro). Cover the rolled-up tortilla in melted butter. Warm the tortilla in a microwave (half power for about 20 seconds), then roll the tortilla in cinnamon and sugar on a plate. Allow to cool (as long as you can wait). Eat, leaning over a plate to catch the dripping honey and with an ample supply of napkins nearby. Enjoy!


  • Sunday, April 04, 2010

    Triumphant Jubilation

    One spring day, two men walked a dusty road near Jerusalem. As they traveled, they talked about recent events. Just one week earlier had been a glorious day. The Messiah had entered Jerusalem in triumph. A great multitude had greeted him, spreading palm fronds and clothes on the road before him. In that moment the long-promised deliverance of Israel seemed at hand.

    The days that followed were a whirlwind of activity. The cleansing of the temple. Wonderful days of teaching—parables and prophecy and confounding the Pharisees. The Passover. Then the unimaginable: betrayal. Arresting officers in the night. A trial before the chief priests. Hearings before Pilate and Herod. And suddenly the throng that had joyfully welcomed the Savior on Sunday had vanished and the crowds before Pilate were not singing Jesus’ praise but chanting for his death. A murderer was released, a sentence decreed. Scourging, the cruel burden of the cross, the road to Calvary, the nails, the mocking of the soldiers, the taunting of the Jews. The vinegar, the spear, the earthquake, the veil of the temple. Death.

    How had it happened? How had things turned so quickly from triumph and shouts of hosanna to death and shouts of derision? What had happened to the Deliverer? He was the One who was to give them liberty, but now He was in a tomb. Or at least He had been, but now some women had visited the tomb and found it empty.

    As the two men walked, their heads swirled in confusion and wonder.

    A stranger joined them. “What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another,” he asked, “as ye walk, and are sad?” (Luke 24:17).

    Surprised that he could be unaware of the last week’s events, they recounted the reason for their melancholy bewilderment. In response, the stranger began to teach them from the scriptures, recounting prophecies of Moses and others. “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” he asked (Luke 24:26).

    Soon they approached their destination. The stranger would not be stopping but would travel further. But the two invited him to stay with them, pointing out that the day was spent. He consented and joined them for their evening meal, and “he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him” (Luke 24:30-31).

    It was Him! They had been walking and talking with the risen Lord. He who was dead was alive again! Suddenly things fit. Confusion was gone. Despair was replaced with exultant jubilation. “Did not our heart burn within us,” they said to each other, “while he talked with us by the way?” (Luke 24:32).

    The darkness of Friday, when the Savior hung upon the cross, was banished by the brilliant light of Sunday. The triumph returned. He was the Messiah. He had, indeed, come to deliver Israel—not from Roman bonds but from a servitude much more fearsome, the slavery of sin and death. And in one tumultuous, confusing week, while disciples watched the apparent unraveling of their fondest hopes, the Holy One of Israel carried out a plan of deliverance they could not see.

    But now they saw, and illuminating joy filled their troubled souls. He who was dead was alive again. He was, indeed, triumphant. And because of Him, so are we.