Shining the Light

 

John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” NIV

Daylight saving time is over. We will now get up in the dark, our children will walk to the school bus stop in the dark, and we’ll drive to work … in the dark. But we do not have to feel that darkness has overtaken us. Christ’s light shines within and fills us with His love.

This is also the time when people start lighting their homes, from the peak of the house to sparkling shrubs near the basement windows. They burn aromatic candles and cover up with warm blankets as they sit around the fire pit in the backyard a few more times before snow fills the brick-formed circle. Watching the flickering flames, the outdoorsy fragrance of burning wood fills them with relaxing peace. They decorate for Christmas before the Thanksgiving turkey has been carved. Some are wise enough to wait to blow up the six-foot-tall Santa balloon with armloads of gifts, and his friend Rudolf with his red nose, a beacon in the night, until the cranberry salad leftovers have been eaten.

But remember, Jesus has already told us, He is the light, the beacon in the darkness. And He brings the gift of abundant life. He doesn’t promise riches as we on earth interpret bounty. His riches come from His gift of light, Love, and eternal life. This holiday season, remember to brighten the way for others by bringing them the knowledge of the true Light that comes from the Son of God, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Doris

Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

 

We Are the Root

 

Matthew 18:19-20.  ¹⁹ “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” NIV

Praise the Lord for all those who are turning again to God through Jesus Christ. We are at a time of embracing love over evil. On television, we see great numbers gathering in the name of Jesus, praising His name, singing to the glory of God, and praying as a multitude.

Churches are congregations of people who gather together for fellowship, worship, and prayer. Some congregations are small, while others fill mega-churches. Today, I am lifting up the small, rural church where fewer and fewer attend due to waning farm life. Economic pressures, like the enormous price of farm land and the equipment necessary for operation, coupled with a very low profit margin, account for the shrinking family farm. The rural church, located a mile up the road, has been experiencing a decline in attendance. That isn’t bad. It’s a blessing. They are part of the root of the church and gather in faithfulness and love.

The anchor in the lives of many people, is the church family. The church holds the stories of Mr. Friendly’s constant service to others, because of his love for the Lord. The church also provides the echo of Mrs. Lovely, who taught your third-grade Sunday school class and brought the face of Jesus into your midst.

I lift up praise for the bursting fellowship of believers, and the small church where “two or three,” or twenty or thirty, are gathered together in Your presence. For we are all the root, ever faithful to gather together to praise His name, and to pray for others in need. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Let us pray:

Holy Father, God of all, we praise your name. May your Kingdom come at your timing. For this day, we ask that you strengthen the will of all those gathered in your name. Your presence is felt in churches, large and small. Actually, there are no small churches. Since you are there in the midst of worship, there cannot be anything small about it. Forgive us when we use numbers to evaluate your followers. For Your presence is miraculous, whether two or two thousand are present. To you we give all glory and praise. Amen  

Doris

Doris Gaines Rapp

 

The Blood of the Lamb

 

1 John 1:7   But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (NIV)

My husband and I had a wonderful blue-sky drive on Friday to spend time with family. An interesting thought came over the radio, and I needed to jot down the idea in a notebook I carry. Glenn Beck reported that some people are concerned about the blood of Jesus purifying us from sin. Some found bathing in blood more than they cared to consider.

Lovelies, thousands of years ago, the temple priests in old Jerusalem would kill a lamb as a sacrifice to God. Though their people had sinned, as we all do, the lamb was slain in their place. When Jesus was crucified, though sinless, they pierced his side to make sure he was dead. The blood he shed was a sacrifice for our sins. He loved His Father so much and all of us who believe in Him, that he gave His life for us.

I do not intend to rewrite the Bible. To understand our scripture a little better, I’m simply offering another way to look at it. “… and the love of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

When we pray, through the name of Jesus, we wrap ourselves in His love as we stand before God. As He looks at us, He sees Christ’s love, surrounding us, and purifying us.

Let us pray: Dear Father in Heaven and Abba in my heart, I pray that I may walk in your light each day, to see more clearly the footprints of your Son. I don’t need to know when someone is touched by the love you give through me. I only asked to be used. You are love, and when I share that love, I speak your name. Forgive me when I’ve failed to share you with others. May it be that you are seen despite my negligence in speaking out on your behalf. I love you, Lord God, and I pray to you in the name of your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

 

Doris

Doris Gaines Rapp, PhD.

Charlie’s Homecoming Celebration

 

September 21, 2025

Jesus told His disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14: 1-4 (NIV)

Jesus went to prepare a place for Charlie Kirk and, for you and me. While on the faculty at Taylor University, I always heard a funeral referred to as a “homecoming.” Charlie has gone home and will be there when his loved ones arrive in years to come.

We are all children of God. We are all Charlies, in our own blessed way, and every “way” is different, equally measured out, and designed to serve Him. I heard of a young man who attended a week-long spiritual rally. Whether the story is true or not, the underlying message is amazing. The revival meeting didn’t draw huge numbers, and attendance dwindled as the week went along. The few that remained at the close of the week greeted the evangelist at the end of the last evening’s service. One young man shook the evangelist’s hand and said, “My name is Billy Graham.” No, the evangelist didn’t reach many people, but Billy did. In my heart, I know that God planned it that way and blessed them both with “A job well done, good and faithful servant.”

Given a task, with Jesus at our side, we can fulfill it. We are not all called to establish a great movement like Charlie did. We are called to provide the witness that He gave us. We do not diminish that gift by saying, “But, God, no one will notice me. They won’t know that I am important to you with such a small job you have given me.”

Hallelujah, Lord, there are no small tasks. The books I write touch people I usually do not know, in ways I do not know. As a psychologist, my words were buried deep in a client’s heart even when I thought they hadn't heard me. Some would say, “Dr. Rapp, I remember when you said ….” My first thought was usually, “Oh my, what did I say that time?” But it was a blessing to them, because Jesus sat with us in my office.

We are all servants. I would rather scrub the floors in Christ’s heavenly home, than to be met at the door with, “I’m sorry. I do not know you.” As you remember Charlie Kirk, his life, his work, and his witness, I challenge you to pray every day, a special prayer – the servant’s prayer.

“Oh, God of glory, holy is your name. May your kingdom come on earth and may I serve you while I’m here. Give me the courage to serve your people, to speak your name and your message, and to say exactly what someone needs to hear today, or to do what needs to be done. May I not know who it was, or under what circumstances, so that I may not boast. Only you deserve glory, Lord God. I pray in the name of your son, my savior, Jesus Christ. Amen”

Blessings to all,

I hope you live all of your life.

Doris

Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.

Unblocked

 Like so many others, this blog had been blocked for many years. I will attempt to meet with you at least once per month. I ask that the Lord God bless you all.

Doris

Thank You, Sally Walker

Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”, and he said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you… This is my name forever, and this is my memorial-name to all generations.… I AM.”  Exodus 3:14 (New American Standard Bible)

I heard it said … Yahweh (God’s name) is actually the sound of air, or the breath of God. He who is the very air we breathe identified himself to Moses as “I AM” … Life itself … and we, inheritors of all Jesus, the Son of God, had and has, should not let anyone or any circumstance identify us by any other  name — I am a child of I AM.

Tomorrow I go into the hospital for a second round of surgeries on my back. One necessity for now, and at least six weeks following, will be the use of a walker I named Sally. My physician called Sally “my BFF.” Maybe so, but I refused to be identified as the little-old-lady-with-the-walker. I have hired Sally to be my professional/personal assistant: the one who steadies my walk, provides a seat when I’m tired, and acts as a truck for hauling stuff from room to room. It does not define me at the very essence of my identity.

I am a child of the Living God. I breathe in the breath of God. I’m not rich in monetary things. … God isn’t about the things of this world. He’s about the richness of life with Him. Sally Walker is my employee, my tool for service and I refuse to let anyone identify me otherwise. Their misperception is not a label for me. It is an indication of who they are and who they serve or don’t serve.

Who or what events do you let identify you? Know who you are and whose you are, and serve Him alone. Let’s pray:

“Heavenly father, God of all who breathe in your sweet air, Holy is your name. May your kingdom of Love come to all of us, filling the entire world with your grace. For today, I ask you to so fill me with your sweetness that both this body you have given me to live in and this life you have created me to be may overflow with who you are: the creator, the healer, the forgiver, and the living God … always alive, always in the present, always I AM. Forgive me when I confuse wishes for myself with blessings from you. Help me to never identify others beyond another breath of life … of God. You are LIFE and BREATH, FORGIVENESS and GLORY forever. Amen”

Doris

Copyright 2018 Doris Gaines Rapp

www.prayertherapyrapp.blogspot.com

www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com

Author of nine novels and several non-fiction

Website: www.dorisgainesrapp.com

www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com

WORDS OF LIFE

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Proverbs 22: 6 (NKJV)

What language does your children or grandchildren hearing when you speak? Are you burying words in their mind and heart — that can never be un-heard — that are not worthy of treasuring? At this time of year, we have chosen to emphasize ghouls and goblins and things that go bump in the night, rather than beauty and color and things that lift us to realms of light.

With Halloween coming up in a week, how are you preparing your children? We live in a culture that glorifies death with skulls a common decoration around us. How can we lift up the living God and the resurrected Jesus, rather than death and evil?

I would like to suggest a phrase you could say when you hand out autumn candy on October 31. We could say, “Blessings to you at Harvest time!” Let us pray:

“Holy Father, love divine, sacred is your name. May your kingdom of love and mercy fall down on everyone this fall, that we may harvest your love and grace. For today, we ask you to give us the courage to stand up for life and songs of love, rather than death and dirges. Forgive me when I have joined the world that worshiped death in previous years and direct me to use words that lift up love and praise. In the precious name of Jesus, the Christ, I pray. Amen”

Doris

Copyright 2017 Doris Gaines Rapp

Other Blog: dorisgainesrapp@blogspot.com

Website: dorisgainesrapp.com

All books available at amazon.com, b&n.com, and cokesbury.com

Women of Honor

“But Ruth replied (to her mother-in-law), "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Ruth 1:16  NIV

March is National Women’s History Month. I would like to honor parsonage women, spouses of pastors.

As the wife of a minister, I remember my first women’s meeting at a new church we began serving. A woman asked an innocent question. “What do you believe is the role of the pastor’s wife and their children?”

My answer was simple, “My children are on display for no one.” As to the roll of the pastor’s wife, I said, “God has given me some talents and training, one is vocal music. I would like to sing in the choir. Another is my degree in Education so I’d like to teach a Sunday school class if needed.” Then, I thought of the hundreds of women who have moved to join congregations and are completely misunderstood. I smiled and added, “Sorry, even with a minor in music, I do not play the piano; and, I have no particular talent in the kitchen. With my husband gone nearly every evening, I will be home with our children. I’ll not be at the church every time the lights are on.” Sounds harsh? No, it’s honest—no surprises, no disappointments, no failed expectations.

I honor all those wives and parsonage families who have to find a new physician every few years in a completely strange community. They must search out the most economic local grocery; which vet is best for their pets; organize play-dates for their lonely children; seek which merchants to trade with in order to not offend members of the church; . . . those who wait at home night after night for their minister husband to come home from meetings. I honor all those women who rear their children to walk in the footprints of Christ, who show up for recitals, track meets, and gather around the kitchen table every night to complete homework. I honor the love and loyalty they give to their husbands whom God called into ministry. The Lord God also called their spouse into the blessed unit called “family.” I honor parsonage women who create “family” for their children and respect their husband, even when absent. Let us pray”

“Father God, creator of all there is, you have called some into a walk with you that requires uprooting young plants from their bed of security. Holy is your name and blessed are those who walk in your paths. I ask that you bless all those women who honor you by keeping their children safe so that the world may not touch them, even though they are dug-up and replanted in new soil. May that newness be a blessing and fresh nourishment, not a curse on those who love and follow you. We give up all sense of “home-town” and claim Heaven as our home. In the name of Jesus Christ whom we follow, I pray. Amen”

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2017 Doris Gaines Rapp

Another blog: www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com

Website: www.dorisgainesrapp.com

Unto Us

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

What did you get for Christmas? I received God's son: His love, His forgiveness, His grace, His peace and His song. Why have we not learned --- the one who gave the most, the biggest, the most precious ... was God?

The true meaning of Christmas is giving, not receiving. The real joy of Christmas is seeing the light in another's eyes when you give them a gift. The real "magic" of Christmas is in finding the miracle of love. The only gift of Christmas is Christ the child, the son of God. And, yes, the King of Kings was given for you, for me, and for all of us. Let us pray:

"Father God, Abba - Daddy, I crawl upon your lap as a tiny child, and breathe in the essence of your sweetness. You are pure Love. With your love you created all there is, and nothing that is was not yours first. I was yours before I was born. When you gave me life, you gave me the freedom to choose life or death. Your precious son, Jesus, taught me how to live in you and you in me. There is no gift more perfect than Jesus. For His love and life, I give you thanks. Forgive me for the times when I forget how to live my life in you. May this Christmas day, when we celebrate the birth of Love, be the day I live a life of your peace. In the name of Jesus, the babe of the manger I pray. Amen"

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp

Also, read www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com

In Those Days

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.”... “And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the City of David called Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to him in marriage ad was expecting a child.”   Luke 2:1 and 3-5 (NIV)

The story of Christmas, the birthday celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ, starts with a statement of fact, a link to actual history—“In those days…” not, “Once upon a time.” The addition of a jolly elf whose purpose is to bring joy and happiness to all the children of the world, and his flying reindeer, a species of Rangifer tarandus, known in North America as Caribou, is a fun story that allows the shifting of generosity from the child’s parents to Santa Claus. One story is anchored in history and the other is a once upon a time story floating in fantasy. Always remember, there is only one reason for Santa Claus to have a motive for sharing joy—because joy, peace, love, and song came to earth in the form of a tiny baby over two thousand years ago.

This year, help your children to be “givers’ rather than “takers.” They can give gifts of service, helping family and neighbors by doing jobs within their age ability, and gifts of love, visiting aged grandparents and friends. They can let the Baby Jesus shine through them, bringing others to the manger of love. Love and joy are what the season is all about. Children of all ages can understand that.

The miracle of Christmas is not an elf. It’s the presence of angels who announced to the world that we no longer need to be afraid. Jesus has entered the world, and specifically has entered our own lives. He will always bring to our hearts the song heard on a silent hillside—Hallelujah, the son of God is born to you…and to even me. Rather than a list of I-wants, help your children write a list of I-gives. Every time they hear a bell ring, they can know that another angel has announced in song that the Christ child is in their heart, ringing out a song of peace and love. Let us pray:

“Holy Father, love divine, you shine your star-light above my home every Christmas and miraculously, on the homes of everyone who believe in you. Every time I hear a bell ring, may I remember that your son, Jesus, came into the world to bring joy and forgiveness, and to remind me to love and serve you. Forgive me when I have been an I-want child of Santa’s rather than an I-will child of the Child of Christmas. Let me be a part of bringing your joy and love to earth this Christmas. In the name of your son, Jesus, our savior, and the true reason for Christmas, I pray. Amen”

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp

Another blog: www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com

Website: www.dorisgainesrapp.com

The Christmas List

For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever”  1 Peter 1:24-25 (NIV)

 

No matter how important and busy we think we are, only those we love are of true value. I’ve thought a lot about how quickly time slips away and withers like grass. If your dad is eighty-five years old, you may have only two to five Christmases left with him. When did you call him last? When were you last there for the Christmas ham?

 

If your sister has health problems, you may have only two or three New Year’s Eve celebrations with her. If your brother is going back to the middle-east in mid-December, there may not be another Christmas to say, “I’m glad you’re here.”

 

If your son or daughter has a Christmas pageant on December 21, the last day of school before Christmas break, but you have a business meeting the same evening, there may not be another Christmas between you to say, “I’m here for you because I love you.”

 

Don’t let time wither like grass or fall to the ground like the browned peddles of dead flowers. Time is a gift. Once the present has been rejected, ignored or squandered, that moment will never be given back—no do-overs—no maybe-next-year. Today is the only real there is. It won’t wait for you, and you can never catch up. You can only write that letter to a dying friend while they are still here to read and enjoy it.

 

Who is on your Christmas list? Let this be the Christmas that joy and love return to your heart, when time with those you love, top what you want. How many Christmases remain in your relationship with someone? Let us pray:

 

“Holy Father, Abba of Christ, I bow before your holy name. May your kingdom come into the world during this blessed time so that all may find your peace at the side of the manger. For this Christmas, I want nothing for myself. I only ask that those who are sick are free from pain; those who are lonely may find a friend; those I have forgotten may be first in my thoughts. Forgive me for when I have been selfish; for when I have crossed your son’s name out of his own birthday and chose to celebrate things; and for when I have wasted the precious time you have given me. In the name of the Christ in Christmas I pray. Amen”

Doris

 

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp

Length of Days trilogy, by Doris Gaines Rapp: All three are available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com, as well at Cokesbury.com

Length of Days – The Age of Silence   (© 2014)

Length of Days – Beyond the Valley of the Keepers  (© 2015)

Length of Days – Search for Freedom  (© 2016)

News at Eleven - A Novel

Hiawassee – Child of the Meadow

Smoke from Distant Fires

Escape from the Belfry

Escape from the Shadows – sequel will be out in late 2016 or early 2017

Another blog: www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com

Website: www.dorisgainesrapp.com

 

 

What Happened to Respect?

“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Ephesians 5:33 ESV

My friends, do we really want to contribute to the demise of the American male? Sit-coms consistently present the bright and capable wife and mother, and the dumb and bumbling husband and father. In politics, we have one candidate who has talked about helping women and children for her entire career. Where are the words of encouragement for the husbands and fathers who respect their wife and are loyal and hard-working for their family? The other candidate made inappropriate, swaggering comments about women ten years ago, insulting his wife and family. How can I help them to understand?

I won’t try to be politically correct since PC is a made-up phenomenon to silence those who are different than we are. I only lift up these ideas as food for thought. In the greater human race, there should be no race to superiority between males and females. We are in desperate times and desperately need the wisdom and strength of both men and women. It is NOT a male/female contest. It is a challenge of ideas and policies.

One example to ponder as bits and pieces of possible accuracy: Forbes reported in 2012 that the ratio of male-female college students has shifted toward a greater female college population since the 1970’s and has gradually increased since that time. Little boys are taught to respect girls. As teens, they are told that they must not “out-shine” women; they must not argue with women; they can’t even open the door for a woman but must just get out of their way. There is no way for young men to succeed in an academic setting when they are told not to succeed – that’s bragging; not to excel in sports of strength – that’s hostile; not to admire a beautiful girl because she will interpret his appreciation of her as demeaning. So … he does not enter the closed system of academia as it is a hostile environment for males.

Dear friends, if our nation, under God, is going to survive, we must enlist the strengths of both men and women, respect the differences in perspective and come to agreements about how to handle our serious problems, with prayer and devotion to God who inspired our nation. Let us pray:

“Dear Lord and Father of our great country, I bow my head in respect for your sovereignty. You are holy and long to spread your love and strength over our nation once again. Sometimes, we will not allow you in. For my part, if I have left you out of our national debate, I am sorry. For today, I give you my worry and my fears about our future and know you will make our nation yours again if we will just let go and let you. Fill my heart with wisdom to say what needs to be said when it’s time to say it, and the control to hold my tongue when I have nothing to add that will advance your plan for us. Forgive me if I have let others tell me to silence my belief in you. I will try to see neither male nor female in the faces all around me, only your beloved children. In the name of your precious son, Jesus, I pray. Amen”

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp

Another blog: www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com

Website: www.dorisgainesrapp.com

Wait Upon the Lord

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

“Do you have many readers for your blog?” a friend, Matthew, asked one day.

“Not really. In a week’s time, I have between fifty-five and eight-five readers who log-on,” I said.

“Wow,” another blogger-friend added. “Only my mother and sister read my blog.”

Matthew thought for a moment and said, “I’ve wondered if blogging is worth my time.”

Some believe that Isaiah 40:31 (above) refers to the physical coming of the Lord. Others believe this verse means to wait upon the Lord as a servant would wait, or take care of, their boss. In Isaiah’s time he would be talking about the coming of the messiah. In the New Testament, it would mean the second coming of the Christ. I like to think of Isaiah 40:31 as waiting on him as a good and faithful servant of the Lord God.

When we live life in the here-and-now, we do the immediate thing in front of us. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus said to pray for our “daily bread,” not the whole loaf.

“I look at blogging as an act of obedience,” I continued with Matthew as I thought of the nine years I’ve been posting on this Prayer Therapy blog. “The Lord whispers words in my ear. I write them down and post them on my blog. The blog stats tell me that people in various countries around the world read the posts. I get feedback from readers who say that the few paragraphs I sent out where just what they needed to hear that week. So, it doesn’t matter to me how many people read it. If one person is blessed, then it has been a blessing to me.”

It has been hard to keep up with the weekly blog since my back surgery last year. But, once in a while, the Lord hands me a new topic. After spotting a quote from John Wesley, I posted—Be a Uniter, Not a Divider—on July 29. I usually check a few days later to see what countries have viewed the post. On that July 29^th, after nine years of blogging, there were the following readers: twenty-one from Russia; six from France; five from  China; four from Japan; two from Germany; two from Romania; one from Latvia and …  from the United States there were 25,897. I don’t know who. I don’t know why. To my small thinking, I think God was letting me enjoy a few days as the numbers crept up. Now, what fun was that?! I was obedient and God let me enjoy the day. I said, “The day.” He didn’t open the door to a flamboyant writing career. He let me enjoy the day, and that was more than enough for me. Let us pray:

 “Father God, I wait on you, for the second coming of your son, Jesus, and I gladly wait on you as a servant takes care of their master. If I do nothing but wait all of my days, it will be the privilege of my life to serve you. For this day, show me someone to encourage, to bless with your love, to touch with your healing power, to listen to as they speak. Forgive me when I have dwelled on the hurts of the past and have failed to see you in the face of someone around me. Forgive me when I have pleaded for a future gift and have missed the blessed ministry of today. Let me see you all round me and serve you there. In the name of your son, my savior Jesus the Christ, I pray. Amen.”

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp

Length of Days trilogy, by Doris Gaines Rapp: All three are available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com, as well at Cokesbury.com

Length of Days – The Age of Silence   (© 2014)

Length of Days – Beyond the Valley of the Keepers  (© 2015)

Length of Days – Search for Freedom  (© 2016)

Also on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Cokesbury:

Escape from the Belfry

Hiawassee – Child of the Meadow

Smoke from Distant Fires

News at Eleven – A Novel – Serialized on www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com

Escape from the Shadows – release date late 2016

The Garden of Aden – release date 2017

A Snake in the Garden

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1

Today we hear, “Did the Lord God really say, ‘Thou shall not bear false witness?’” (Exodus 20:16) Surely, he didn’t mean ALL of the time. What about during political elections? The other political party slanders and lies, that’s what politicians do – right? In order to win, aren’t we required to take down the opponent at all costs? The crafty serpent still tries to get us to doubt what the Lord God has told us to do, and not to do.

The first novel in my Length of Days trilogy, The Age of Silence, warns us what can happen if we say nothing in order to maintain political correctness. You and I both know a lot of what we hear today about candidates is false, even deliberate lies in order to lead a voter away from the truth. Must we remain silent? Of course not—we would sink deeper into the Age of Silence.

If we are in mourning or are depressed, the best therapy is to help others. The way to fight false statements is to spread the truth. That doesn’t mean we’ll hear the truth from the news of the day. Lifted out of context by a newscaster or a political campaign, they often twist a word or a phrase from a speech or writing into something it never intended to mean. We need to do our own research and spread only truth. Work hard for your candidate. Speak only what you know to be true. Pray for the opponent, that all good things may come to them through truth. When we heal others with the salve of Truth, God will honor our efforts. Let us pray:

“Oh Lord God, author of truth and love, I bow before your holy name. May your kingdom come to earth this day and dwell within me and me in your kingdom. For this day, I pray for the ability to speak only truth to lies, that the serpent may not deceive me. Forgive me when I have foolishly passed on falsehoods for the sake of winning. When I trample truth with lies, no one wins. I cannot discern truth on my own; deliver me from the lies of the serpent. In the name of your son, Jesus my redeemer I pray. Amen”

Doris

Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Length of Days trilogy, by Doris Gaines Rapp: All three are available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com, as well at Cokesbury.com

Length of Days – The Age of Silence   (© 2014)

Length of Days – Beyond the Valley of the Keepers (© 2015)

Length of Days – Search for Freedom (© 2016)

Prayer Therapy of Jesus   (© 2014)

Be a Uniter, Not a Divider

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” 1 Corinthians 1:10

This is most definitely an election year in the United States. I know I’ve already eaten my fill of not so tasty political speeches. I have witnessed:  division along party lines; division in race; division in every demographic possible. Paul told the Corinthians to agree with one another so there would be no divisions.

If you’re married, you know that loving people do not agree all of the time. If they do, one of them is not thinking. Disagreement, however, is not mean or angry; it’s not loud or rude; it does not slander or defame. Actually, disagreement is a wonderful sharing of ideas and points of view. Only the weak fear to hear another’s side.

In my Length of Days trilogy that takes place from 2112-2114, when political correctness has controlled the country, four distinct zones divide the nation, with no travel or contact between them.

Will our divisiveness today cut our nation in half, or even in little pieces? Or, can we be strong 

enough and mature enough to realize that it is up to us to bind our country together with your love. John Wesley addressed how to unite, to mend and not divide, on October 6, 1774. He said:

“I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election, and advised them: 1. to vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy; 2. to speak no evil of the person they voted against; and, 3. to take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side.”

Can we put on our prayer shawls and humbly submit our words and spirits to God who will speak through us the loving and binding words that are needed right now? I know we can. We don’t even have to want to. We just have to want to want to, and to be obedient to the God of love. God will do the rest. Let us pray:

“Holy Father, Love divine, shine your light of peace on all of us. Not peace as some might see it, as weakness, but peace as strength through Jesus Christ, who was so determined to be obedient to you, ‘…he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem…’ when you were ready to call him home. May your kingdom come today, a kingdom of quietness and joy, so that we may take this election season and place it in your hands. For this day, may I want to want to choose your path where division is not the way to love. Forgive me when I have joined in the gossip and slander that defames your civil servants. I am not perfect and I must not demand perfection of them. I turn our blessed country over to you, Father God and pray through your son Jesus Christ that your will may be done in our beautiful and free land. Amen”

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp

Length of Days trilogy, by Doris Gaines Rapp: All three are available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com, as well at Cokesbury.com

Length of Days – The Age of Silence   (© 2014)

Length of Days – Beyond the Valley of the Keepers  (© 2015)

Length of Days – Search for Freedom  (© 2016)

Thank You Father God

"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have made your glory higher than the heavens."  Psalm 8:1 (NIV)

Yesterday was Fathers Day. I wonder how many of us remembered to thank the father of us all, the Lord God. Some may say, "But this whole world is out of control, with killings and God-less living. God has done nothing to stop it."

If we, you and I, don't stop the sinfulness of His people, by acknowledge God's grace and give Him thanks, then we are part of what makes the Lord weep. When I go on the social media of today, I see post after post from those who soil the name of the Lord rather than lift Him up.

It has become politically incorrect to speak of the Most High in loving and respectful tones. In my Length of Days trilogy, which takes place in 2112-2114, the name of Jesus is banned, Christmas is turned into Gift Giving Season, music of all kinds is forbidden because music stirs emotions in the people, and freedom is lost to a ruling class who believe freedom is too dangerous for normal citizens to embrace. And, it all begins when they forbid the name of Jesus and His father, God, to be spoken. For this day, I lift up praise and thanksgiving to our Lord God for His grace and love and to His son Jesus, for His sacrifice that saved a soul like even me. Let us pray:

"Father, God of all that lives, holy, holy, holy is your name. May your kingdom of love come into my life and the lives of those around me, that we may behold your glory and majesty, just as the angels in Heaven now enjoy. For today, I bow low before your throne and worship you, lifting up your name in praise and love. Forgive me when I do not acknowledge you and speak your name freely in the corner of the world in which I live. I love you Lord and I lift up your name this very day. I ask for your strength and awareness, in the name of your son Jesus, my savior and redeemer I pray. Amen"
Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp

Length of Days trilogy, by Doris Gaines Rapp: All three are available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com, as well at Cokesbury.com

Length of Days – The Age of Silence   (© 2014)

Length of Days – Beyond the Valley of the Keepers  (© 2015)

Length of Days – Search for Freedom  (© 2016)

National Day of Prayer

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Philippians 4:6 

Today is the National Day of Prayer. Let us all take pause to invite the Lord God into our nation that desperately needs His guidance. We are to pray with thanksgiving. Why would anyone pray with thanksgiving if they didn't believe He would answer their prayer? Pray, knowing He hears you and knowing He will answer your prayers. Remember, God is not a genie. You can not put on your prayer shawl as if you were rubbing His bottle. He will answer your prayers in keeping with His plan. The saddest people I know are those who believe He answered there prayer, gave them what they thought they wanted, only to discover that they wanted was not good for them. Let us pray:

"Oh loving father of us all, I bow before you on this day when our nation is at prayer. I ask that your glorious plan may come to our nation, our families, our friends and ourselves. Sometimes I do not pray for those who have injured me. But, on this day, I pray that my former enemy may be lifted up and blessed with your abounding love, that only your love can flow from them. Our nation is involved in a great decision this year, a decision that will mold and direct our national security, our prosperity, and our standing with you who created this great nation. I ask that your kingdom may come in spirit and in truth and direct my actions that I may help to bring it about in your name. In the name of your son, my savior Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen"
Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp

www.dorisgainesrapp.blogspot.com

www.dorisgainesrapp.com

Put on Love

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”  Colossians 3:14-16 (NIV)

If you are a news-junkie you have been watching the current political events with great interest and amazement. If you don’t automatically turn to CNN or FOX NEWS when you sit down in the evening, you still have overheard about the strange rantings and messages of people you have little interest in. How could you help but hear their names in this electrically charged political season?

Some of us worry and become stressed. What will become of our great nation if so-and-so wins the nomination? My question is—what are you willing to do to help elect your favorite candidate? Or, do you just complain and become angrier? And then, there’s that LOVE word.

Put on the strongest, most courageous love that God can place on you. KNOW that Christ dwells within you. With the word of Christ within you, wisdom will come, with thanksgiving in your heart and songs of praise and love on your lips. Trust that He will bring about the change our country needs when you follow His lead. Vote like our country depends on your vote—because it does. Love those who think like you do and those who do not, so a perfect unity may bless us all. Only love can heal our country. Let us pray:

“Our father God, you who dwell within my heart when my heart is tuned to you, holy is your name. For this day, I ask for your wisdom to burst forth and guide my life and my decisions. Forgive me when I have been unkind to those who think differently than I do. I am not wise enough to know your heart but I trust that you know mine. Guide me from within by the indwelling of your spirit, that I may hear your direction for my steps. I love you Lord, and I give over my decisions and my will to you. In the name of, and by the power of your precious risen son, Jesus Christ I pray. Amen”

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp

Length of Days – Search for Freedom, the third in my Length of Days trilogy, is now available in paperback and eBook on Amazon. “Christiana Applewait’s dear grandfather, Oliver Richly, the presidential candidate in the newly formed 1787-Constitutionalists Party, has been kidnapped. Her friend, Dr. Jason O’Reilly, helps her in the desperate search to find him. Is he alive? If he is, will they find him before the presidential election?” Read Length of Days – Search for Freedom today.

Believe and You Are Forgiven

⁸ “Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof ⁹ and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. ¹⁰ We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea^[a] for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.^[b] 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

¹² “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.” Joshua 2: 8-13

Blessed to attend a Christian Women’s retreat on Saturday that included these verses, I pass them on to you. In the Old Testament, we learn how Joshua sent spies to Rahab the prostitute in Jericho before he and his army marched around and attacked the city. Notice in vs 10 Rahab acknowledged the God of the Israelites in whom she had not believed and chose to put her trust in Him. Though she was a sinner, a prostitute, she went down in history, not as a prostitute, but as a person of faith. Honored for her belief in God, she became the mother of Boaz (the husband of Ruth), the g-grandmother of King David, and the 25^th g-grandmother of Jesus Christ – if I counted correctly. You can read Matthew 1 and count the generations back to Rahab yourself. It was for Rahab’s FAITH – not her sins – that the Lord blessed her.

We too can be forgiven of our past sins if we have faith in the Lord God who forgives. Dear ones do not carry the burdens of the past on your shoulders for an eternity. Eternity belongs to God and the beginning steps we take here on earth are His as well. Hand your past to the Lord God and He will bless you with a life of Love and forgiveness because of your faith. Let us pray:

“Dear Lord God, you are the Lord of all, the one who gives Life and saves our lives from our past mistakes. Holy, holy, holy are you, dear Lord. May your kingdom of Love come and make its home in my life as the angels in Heaven now enjoy. For today, I ask that you forgive the mistakes in my past. I speak their names now so that you may hear the desire of my heart and set me free from their clutches. (List them by name) Forgive me for these mistakes and for having carried them so long without asking you for their release. I pray to have your love within me that I might forgive those who have sinned against me. May I not be tempted to blame them for their misdeeds while I ignore my own sins. Let me shower the world around me with your love, so that others may feel free to seek your forgiveness as well. In the name of your son, my redeemer and Lord I pray. Amen”

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2016 Doris Gaines Rapp

Watch for the 3^rd in my Length of Days trilogy - available in April. Length of Days – Search for Freedom

Do You Hear What I Hear?

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” Philippians 1:3 (NIV)

Sunday, as Carolyn played a beautiful piano solo, combining many Christmas hymns and carols, my father’s one-note melody drifted into my mind and I smiled. Daddy was a fine Christian but with a blue-collar vocabulary who sang praises to the Lord on the flat lilt of a tone-deaf monotone. It was hard to hold back tears of joy when I heard his familiar voice singing again in my memory.

Momma played the piano for the primary-grade Sunday school classes as they gathered before their Bible lesson. She pounded on those ivory keys until the melodies of Christmas flooded the low ceiling-room in the little Beavertown EUB church of my childhood. As we all listened to Carolyn yesterday, in my mind I saw Momma in her brown felt hat with the attached Christmas tree pin with bright rhinestones for tiny ornaments and my heart filled with love and joy.

For myself, I have/had a trained singing voice with a three-octave range … before three or four winters with chronic bronchitis and several surgeries in which oxygen burned my vocal chords. I have lost the top two octaves and sing in a female-tenor range. But Sunday, it was different. As the pianist drew beautiful tones out of the piano, I could hear my own voice of a decade ago, floating above the words of praise. I could not control my emotions. While I cannot now sing to praise the Lord as I used to, I know I heard my own voice singing, just like I’ll sound in Heaven when I’m invited to sing with the angel choir.

Christmas is a wonderful time of past and present, celebrating with birthday songs to our Lord Jesus and the trill of giggles from our children and grandchildren as they experience the season with new eyes and ears. What do you hear this Christmas — family arguments from the past or the sweet voices and sounds of your own childhood? Even a flat or melody-free rendition, when sung by the familiar voice of a loving father, is a blessing for which to thank God.

What sounds do you hear at Christmas? What memories do you cling to? Are they ones for which you cannot help but thank God? If not, let them go and choose to remember joy. Let us pray:

“Oh Father God, creator of all there is and father of the Christmas-child, holy is your name and the name of Jesus. At this sacred time of the year, I ask that your will may come to earth and into my life, just as it is in Heaven. For today, I ask that the good sounds of Christmas-past and Christmas-present may fill my mind and memory. Forgive me when I have contributed to the jangle and noise at the foot of the manger. May I not disturb the Christ child or any of your children around me. I thank you for all the good voices of my past and all the many, many blessings of the present. May I be part of the joy and song of Christmas and not a clanging racket. In the name of Jesus, the Christ-child and my savior, I pray. Amen”

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

Copyright 2015 Doris Gaines Rapp

A very Merry and Blessed Christmas to all of you!