Favorite snippets from 2021

These are some of the comments shared with me by friends or family during the year.

• PAIN reminds me that we are not home yet.
• I asked God, “how much?” and He gave me this amount.
• The seeds I have been given, I will plant.
• If the truth makes you feel uncomfortable; don’t blame the truth, blame the lie that makes you comfortable.
• The time in Afghanistan is dark.
• Thank you ~ 50 pastors received pastoral care during the initial global lockdown.
• 59 radio stations in Indonesia with 5 more being developed.
• Due to pandemic and back to lockdown there are thousands of Pastors suffering from lacking of food. 

A lecture or Bible study if you will allow me, was prepared to present to the staff in Burtibang, Nepal in October 2021. God had other plans and my passport with Nepal Visa did not arrive in time for the flight. Here is the outline for the presentation.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 ~ David Marshall Kealy ~ October 2021 ~ NEPAL STAFF 
16 “Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 

v. 16 Rejoice always, 
Philippians 4:4
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” 
[David Kealy note: This is the very first verse of scripture that I memorized because I wanted to, not because I had to.] 
Romans 8:28 “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” 

v. 17 pray continually, 
Thanksgiving – Christians know that God is the source of all of life’s blessings. So, we use prayer to say, “Thanks!” for what we receive. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” (James 1:17) 
Confession – We all mess up. Deep down, we know it. Confession is the act of admitting our guilt, regrets, and confusion to the One who wants to help us make it right or move on. We join the rest of the human race in saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13) And He will. 
Requests – “God, help me!” is a very basic version of the third category of prayer. We need help beyond our capacity, so we ask. It could be provision, intervention, protection, or any of a million other requests, we believe God can do or provide something we can’t. 
FIVE ANSWERS TO OUR PRAYERS: Yes ~ No ~ Wait ~ Change your prayer ~ Change your character. God is not just granting wishes, but a Father who takes seriously the sincere requests of His children. 
Worship – Prayer is also one of the ways we worship God. To “worship” means to “ascribe worth.” In other words, we give credit where credit is due. If the history of humanity tells us anything it is that we are hard-wired to worship someone or something – it could be an idol made of stone or a celebrity “idol” like a sports star or __________ you fill in the blank. 
Worship keeps us sane because it reminds us of the fundamental reality of the universe: that there is only one God, and we are not Him. 

v. 18 give thanks in all circumstances; 
Bonus: for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Have you ever considered what God’s will for you actually is?

I did years ago and He gave me this verse:

"I thank Christ Jesus our LORD who strengthened me because He considered me faithful, putting me into service."  I Timothy 1:12

My BLOG is a monthly dialogue of my life. I do it because I am thankful that God drew in the net, captured me, and set me on the path to serve Him. I do it all the time. Am I perfect? NO. Does that hold me back? NO. Does He continue to strengthen me? YES. So it is "Onward and Upward" as my friend Norman Rohrer often says.