Back Up Plan

The above photograph was taken at the Hirschheim Museum in Washington,DC during a family outing in the winter. Left to right: Thelma, Cheryl, David Norfolk,David Jr, and Teresa. This was 40 plus years ago. Fun to look at it now. We treasure many things and I wonder how many of you insured you photos by backing them up on the cloud, extra disks, etc. I do not have too many. I believe my count according to Lightroom is 67,000 images. Some of pictures are older than I am. Memories.

So it is with our lives. What is our backup plan? The Bible tells us that whatever you sow, that is what you will reap. OK, I have sower good things, but, I don't want to think of my "wild" oats. How about you. Life is short. What is done for Christ will last! OK. Now we have a plan to back up our life. Sow great things, great deeds, random acts of kindness. Think on this.

Take a Look at Bible Verses That Teach Tithing

Often, Christians dismiss the teaching of the Bible concerning tithing. They think tithing is not necessary under the New Testament. Christ taught to give as you have been blessed, or as we call it, "Proportional Giving". It may result in giving far more that the tenth! Think about it.

Genesis 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Genesis 28:22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar,shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Lev 27:30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD.

Lev 27:31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.

Lev 27:32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock,even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

Lev 27:33 He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

Numbers 18:21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Numbers 18:22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and

die.

Numbers 18:23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.

Numbers 18:24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 

Numbers 18:26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them,When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the

tithe.

Deut 12:6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

Deut 12:7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

Deut 12:17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:

Deut 12:19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.

Deut 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed,that the field bringeth forth year by year.

Deut 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the

LORD thy God always.

Deut 14:24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

Deut 14:25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:

Deut 14:26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt

eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou,and thine household,

Deut 14:27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

Deut 14:28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:

Deut 14:29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

Deut 26:12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless,and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;

Deut 26:13 Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy

commandments, neither have I forgotten them:

Deut 26:14 I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given oughtthereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that thou hast

commanded me.

Deut 26:15 Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us,as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

2 Chron 31:5 And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn,wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field;and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.

2 Chron 31:6 And concerning the children of Israel and Judah,that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the LORD their God, and laid them by heaps.

2 Chron 31:7 In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month.

2 Chron 31:8 And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD, and his people Israel.

2 Chron 31:9 Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.

2 Chron 31:10 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and

that which is left is this great store.

2 Chron 31:11 Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared them,

2 Chron 31:12 And brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: over which Cononiah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was the next.

Neh 10:37 And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough,and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same

Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.

Neh 10:38 And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.

Neh 10:39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary,and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers:

and we will not forsake the house of our God.

Neh 12:44 And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited.

Neh 13:5 And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil,which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers,

and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.

Neh 13:10 And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field.

Neh 13:12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.

Amos 4:4 Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:

Amos 4:5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven,and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough

to receive it.

Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith:

these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Luke 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other

undone.

Luke 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Hebrews 7:2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that

also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

Hebrews 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent,having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like

unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Hebrews 7:4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

Hebrews 7:5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their

brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

Hebrews 7:6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

Hebrews 7:7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

Hebrews 7:8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

Hebrews 7:9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes,payed tithes in Abraham.

Think on these things. 
Dave

David T Hottel

Change

I'll bet you can figure out the people in the photograph if you know who we are. If you only know me, then you might guess this was my family at this date in 1962. I was the Chaplain at Ft Kobbe in the Canal Zone and one of the guys in the youth choir made this picture of us during some type of rehearsal. Gary loved to take pictures, just like I do. He used his father's Leica most of the time. We are still in touch with these kids who were part of the Chapel family during my tenure. They are called "Kobbe Kids". Search for them and you will find.

Things have really changed since then. Our son was born, we are all older;many have passed to the next world. Technology has really advanced. Now you can wear Google Glass and take picture and videos by just looking at the subjects. We can "Photoshop" images so that they bear little resemblance to the original.

So, what is reality? The Apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy these words.

2 Timothy 3:14  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

15  and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

17so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (NIV2011)

1  In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge:

2  Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

3  For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

4  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

5  But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 

A casual reading will leave you with the ideas that some changes may not be good, in fact we must subject them to the word of God.

Our sermon for October 20,2013 is on the topic, "Reality Check". Come by and check it out. Hillendale Baptist Church,13135 Hillendale Dr., Woodbridge, Va 22193.

Oh, by the way Gary still takes pictures in Oregon where he lives, and I take loads of pictures in Stafford where I live. Our equipment has really change, but the pictures are real? or "photoshopped"? or ?

Dave

A few years ago I wrote the following article.

     “This Sunday is graduation day in our Sunday School. We will have a time of giving certificates to those in the preschool, children, and youth departments during our Sunday School hour. A big congratulation to each of those who have reached another milestone in their life.

     Speaking of Sunday School, we recently have a wonderful evening of food, fellowship, and challenge as the teachers and officers with spouses met at our church. It was great to share with one another and to learn about the new materials coming our ways to help us in the Sunday School. Bill and June Smith (Bill is our Potomac Association Director of Missions),gave us an excellent challenge for our Sunday School. Let me share the major thrust.

     First, we need to define our purpose for Sunday School. Certainly, we need to have Bible study, but what is our purpose? Each of us will have to define the answer to that question. Let me give you the purpose that the majority of us see. Our purpose is to reach people. Sunday School is the evangelism arm of the church.

     Second, we need to teach the Bible is small groups, adapting the material to our needs and the age groups we teach. Preschoolers are different from adults. We need to share as teachers and officers to encourage one another.

     Third, we need to apply the Bible to life. As we meet together, our fellowship should provide a place for us to share is a meaningful manner with one another. In so doing we can find the practical side of the Bible lesson so we can profit in our lives.

     Fourth, we need to evaluate. Classes change. Methods change. Needs change. We should take time to look at these and other items from time to time. Perhaps a new class needs to be started. We are in a large mission field. We need not go far away to find thousands who do not know Christ. They are right next door. Let us find ways to enroll them.

     I challenge each of us to be a regular attender in Sunday School. Our new annex provides excellent space for classes to expand and grow. If you’re not in a class now, come this Sunday and be a part of this vital ministry.

In Him, Dave”

     Fast forward to today. We still have Sunday School. How we call it Bible Study for those out of Middle School. Our classes are combined, meaning English and Hispanic for those Young People and below. All adult classes are taught in the separate languages.

     We need two things:

          Firstly, a Director. Shanna James had done a great job, but now she wants to devote her time to Youth and a Women’s Conference.

          Secondly, We need students. Traditionally, the Bible study classes have been the evangelization for the church. People enter into a small group and become involved in the church.

     Think about these things and I hope you will come Sunday and join a class. At this time, classes begin at 9:00 AM. We have a Women’s class taught by Maureen Holt, A Young Peoples Class taught by Larry Jimenez, and a mixed adult by Preston Barber.

 

How Great is Our God

I came across this he other day. It is wonderful food for thought. I believe the more I study and reflect, God's intelligent design is seen everywhere.

      How great our God

 Our Creator and Redeemer . . . and do we THINK about it? God's accuracy may be
 observed in the hatching of eggs, for example: the eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days;
 those of the canary in 14 days;
 those of the barnyard hen in 21 days;
 The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days;
 those of the mallard in 35 days;
 The eggs of the parrot and the ostrich hatch in 42 days.(Notice, they are all divisible by seven, the

  number of days in a week!)

 God's wisdom is seen in the making of an elephant.
 The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made.    God planned that this animal would have a huge body, too large to live on two legs. For this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily.

 The horse rises from the ground on its two front legs first. A cow rises from the ground with its two hind legs first. How wise the Lord is in all His works of creation!

 God's wisdom is revealed in His arrangement of sections and segments, as well as in the number of grains.

 -Each watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind.
 -Each orange has an even number of segments.
 -Each ear of corn has an even number of rows.
 -Each stalk of wheat has an even number of grains.
 -Every bunch of bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number.

 -The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather.

 All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks, and the Lord specified thirty fold, sixty fold, and a hundred fold all even numbers.

 God has caused the flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day. Linnaeus, the great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed!

 The lives of each of you may be ordered by the Lord in a beautiful way for His glory, if you will only entrust Him with your life. If you try to regulate your own life, it will only be a mess and a failure. Only the One Who made the brain and the heart can successfully guide them to a profitable end..

 The Bible
 When you carry "the Bible", Satan has a headache, when you open it, he collapses,
 when he sees you reading it, he loses his strength, and when you stand on the Word of God, Satan can't hurt you! And did you also know...

a little child shall lead them! Blessings to all. Dave

I have been reading much lately. It is interesting to me that I return to those who have lived before for guidance in many spiritual things because they are more in tune with the scriptures and the Lord. Today, I re post an article from a sermon service a use. It is timely and relevant. Take time to read and apply.

3 Spiritual Lessons from Jonathan Edwards

Kyle Strobel

If they were important to Jonathan Edwards, they should be important to you!

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is considered by many to be one of the smartest philosophers and theologians in American history. But more than that, Edwards is one of the great spiritual thinkers as well. Edwards helped the churches in New England navigate the work of the Spirit in the “Great Awakening,” and he continues to help pastors walk through these issues through his great work, Religious Affections (one of the most beloved spiritual classics of the Protestant church).
How can we learn from the spiritual practices of Edwards? Here are three lessons that are as important today as they were in Edwards' time:

1. Spiritual Practices Are God-Focused.

When engaging in a spiritual practice, whether reading the Bible devotionally, praising God in church or even listening to a sermon, it can be incredibly easy to start focusing on side-issues. Maybe our lips are moving while singing a praise song, but our minds are thinking about everything else we have to do. Maybe we are reading the Bible for something to say that will sound smart and informed rather than hearing from God.
Whatever the case, Edwards would encourage us to have a God-focused understanding of practices. In other words, when we engage in spiritual practices, like those mentioned above or practices like fasting, prayer or solitude, the purpose is to be with God, rather than merely trying to get a task done. Once we forget that, we very quickly focus on making sure we are doing the act right.
In other words, rather than learning to be with God, the goal becomes perfecting the technique of a spiritual practice. This digresses rapidly to a self-focused form of spiritual practice, which is nothing short of idolatry.

2. Spiritual Practices Are Relational.

In light of the God-focused nature of spiritual practices, Edwards would remind us that spiritual practices are always relational. This can be hard to remember. Whenever we are learning a new practice, even if it is something like reading the Bible, we have to devote a good deal of energy and brain power on figuring out how to do it. The mechanics are not irrelevant, but as was just noted, they must not overtake the purpose of being with God.
Therefore, in the midst of our spiritual practices—all our spiritual practices—God is calling us to himself. Whether we are reading Scripture, singing praise songs, practicing silence and solitude or fasting, we are called to be with God and to know him in relationship. Spiritual practices are a means of grace, Edwards tells us, and grace is always relational.
We do not come to know a distant god, or an infinite power; we come to know God as Father in his Son Jesus Christ. In Christ we are able to call God Father and to know ourselves as His children. Therefore, our spiritual practices should always lead us in relationship and should always be built upon that relationship. Once we start trying to do spiritual practices to establish our relationship with God, even if we do so subconsciously, we fail to embrace the free gift of God in Christ.

3. Spiritual Practices Should Lead to Affectionate Knowledge of God.

Lastly, it is true that we can often feel overwhelmed when we engage in spiritual practices, frustrated that we fell asleep again in prayer, drifted off again during the sermon or found our time in the Word dry and heartless. Nonetheless, Edwards would remind us, God has called us to have more than just a working knowledge of Himself. God wants us to know Him affectionately.
To paraphrase Edwards, God does get your mind off of fleshly things by beating you up, but by showing you something better. The something better He shows you is Himself! Jesus is God’s self-revelation to the world, and that revelation should break open hard and lifeless hearts to His life of love. Therefore, just as our spiritual practices should be God-centered and relational, they should lead us in affection. But what if they don’t? If your heart isn’t moved by God, then we pray “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) and “Without you I can do nothing” (John 15:5).
God is the one who must give us eyes to see His beauty, but we are called to open our hearts to Him in love. Spiritual practices are the means by which we do so. But there are many temptations when practicing any kind of spiritual practices. At the top of the list are the opposites of our three points here.
We will always be tempted to make practices self-centered, becoming proud at our discipline; we will be tempted to make practices mechanical, thinking the “right method” will solve our problems; and we will always be tempted to use practices to cover our guilt and shame rather than using them to turn to God in affection.
Edwards highlights these pitfalls for us and shows us a better way. Focusing on the Christian life as a journey of love that is God-centered, relational and affectionate reminds us who our God is. By embracing the love of our God we can come to walk with Him in all that we do. Edwards is a great guide to show us how we can do this in every aspect of our lives.

So I hope this was helpful Keep your eyes open for beauty. It is everywhere. The hibiscus at the top of the page was growing in an neglected bush near my dentist office. I used my trusty Droid Razor Max and some Nik software, and there you have it. God bless. Dave