Archive - Nite Lite RSS Feed

Nite Lite 10/11/11 “Tunes on Tuesday, Teddy’s Button, Pt 6 & Jonathan’s Crazy Plan”

October 11, 2011 in Nite Lite with 0 Comments

 

It’s Tunes on Tuesday! We have The Bacon Brothers from Sandra Boynton, Uncle Charlie, Go Fish and more, and then in Lamplighter Theatre, Teddy meets his most frightening enemy face to face. After that we see what happens with Jonathan’s crazy plan.  

Click here to go to tonight’s show.

 

 

10/11/11 Devotional Transcript
1 Sam. 14:8-14

King Saul and 600 swordless soldiers are up against a humongous Philistine army who is intent on wiping Israel out. Last night, King Sauls’ son, Jonathan, suggested to his armor bearer that just the two of them take a little field trip over to the Philistine camp and attack them because the Lord can save through many people or just a few. The armor bearer agreed. Tonight we’ll see how this two-man attack pans out.

So here’s 1 Sam. 14:8-14

8 Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us.9 If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands.”

11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.” 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”

So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel.”

13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. 14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

This is why I love this story so much. Jonathan doesn’t know exactly what God will do, so he sets up a little test. If the enemy says, climb up, let’s go. That’s the signal that God is going to give us victory. And that’s exactly what happens.

The Philistines are on top of the cliff, invincible. So they tell Jonathan and his armor bearer, “Hey you scaredy cats, come on up.” I’m sure they never expected two guys to climb up a cliff to fight a bunch of enemy soldiers because it’s going to be certain death for whoever is dumb enough to do it.

Except Jonathan and his friend are anything but dumb. They are operating out of an intense trust in God. Hot and sweaty, they get to the top of the cliff and immediately start trouncing the Philistines. This is impossible! Or is it? A better way to say it would be, this is GOD. Working through the wild and crazy faith of a couple of young Israelite soldiers.

So how about you? Are you willing to attempt the impossible, believing that God is with you? Now, I’m not suggesting that you do something like jump off the roof. Remember, God’s plan was to defeat the Philistines through Israel, but I don’t think his plan is for you to jump off the roof. Has God put you in a place where you can dare to love people who are hard to love? Like at school? Or on a sports team? Or has God put a desire in your heart to do the wild and crazy, like go on a missions trip somewhere to tell people about Jesus?

Some may tell you it’s impossible for you to do something like that. But with God all things are possible. Tomorrow we’ll see what happens with Jonathan and his friend.

Let’s pray.

Father, you have promised you will always be with your people. Help us to trust you and step out in faith. Amen.


FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  What can you do in the place God has planted you to shine his love? What dreams has God put in your heart? I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a comment below to join the conversation.

 

If you’d like to go on a fantasy adventure through the first nine chapters of the Bible,  pick up a copy of my book, Jak and the Scarlet Thread. 12-year old Jak Hamelton gets thrown back to a particular garden paradise where he meets a man and a woman who get into trouble with a snake (sound familiar?). The comments coming back to me from kids, parents and ministry leaders  are overwhelming and humbling. Would love to hear what you think!

Nite Lite 10/10/11 “Teddy’s Button, Supernatural Fingerprints & PERHAPS”

October 10, 2011 in Nite Lite with 0 Comments

Tonight in Lamplighter Theatre, Teddy is in trouble and has to go for a special meeting with Reverend Upton. Then in Supernatural Fingerprints, we’re talking about a creature that’s as long as a bus. After that we get into one of my favorite stories in the entire Bible.

 

Click here to go to tonight’s show.

10/10/11 Devotional
1 Sam. 14:1-7

600 swordless soldiers. That’s all King Saul has left to fight the humongous army of the Philistines. Saul was so afraid of losing his army that he performed the sacrifice himself instead of waiting for Samuel. The penalty is that Saul will lose the entire kingdom. I don’t think he’s in a very good mood, and I doubt his terror has left him. But the Philistine hordes are still threatening Israel. It’s in these moments that we get into one of my favorite stories in the entire Bible. So here we go.

1 Sam. 14:1-7

1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, 3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’s priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.

6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”

7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”


Alright, this is crazy. Two men, Jonathan and the guy who helps him with his armor, decide to basically invade the enemy! Either they’re crazy, ignorant or they know something no one else does. Saul is back at a place called Gibeah along with 600 remaining soldiers and the priest Ahijah. The presence of Ahijah the priest is important because supposedly the Israelites have God on their side, right?

But they’re just sitting around, no one is moving forward to fight…except Jonathan and his friend. And did you catch what Jonathan told his friend? He said, “Hey, Let’s go up to the Philistines, PERHAPS the LORD will work for us, for he can save us through a lot of soldiers, or just a few.”

PERHAPS. That’s a scary word. Jonathan didn’t get a message from an angel telling him to attack the Philistines; he didn’t have a dream the night before; all he had was this: a huge trust in God, and the knowledge that if Israel obeyed, God would be with them. So he dared to take a chance on God. PERHAPS God would work through them. Jonathan was gutsy.

So here’s a question for you. Are you gutsy? Are you willing to take a chance on God? PERHAPS he’ll work through you to do something. PERHAPS he’ll use you to provide clean water for people in another country. PERHAPS he’ll work through you to provide shoes for kids who need them. PERHAPS he’ll work through you to help kids learn to read. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.

If you wait for a phone call from God telling you exactly what to do, you’ll probably be waiting a long time. So if you have a desire to make something happen, and you’re following God with all your heart, then move forward in confidence. PERHAPS God will work through you. Tomorrow we’ll see what happens Jonathan.

Let’s pray.
Father, as Jonathan said, you are able to work powerfully through a lot of people or just a few. Will you work powerfully in our lives to love people into your kingdom?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  What do you dream of doing that PERHAPS God will accomplish through you? What are you doing right now to move in that direction?  I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a comment below to join the conversation.

 

If you’d like to go on a fantasy adventure through the first nine chapters of the Bible,  pick up a copy of my book, Jak and the Scarlet Thread. 12-year old Jak Hamelton gets thrown back to a particular garden paradise where he meets a man and a woman who get into trouble with a snake (sound familiar?). The comments coming back to me from kids, parents and ministry leaders  are overwhelming and humbling. Would love to hear what you think!

Nite Lite 10/9/11 “Teddy’s Button Pt. 4, The Pond, Saul’s Predicament”

October 9, 2011 in Nite Lite with 0 Comments

Tonight in Lamplighter Theatre, Teddy has a catastrophe at church after his enemy makes up some new words for a song. Then in The Pond, the creatures are hot on the trail of nicknames. After that we’re going to find out just how bad it is for Israel against the Philistine army.

 

Click here to go to tonight’s show.

10/9/11 Devotional
1 Sam. 13:15-22

Bad things happened on Thursday night. Saul became terrified as he waited for Samuel to show up, so he took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifices on his own. Bad idea. He was ruled by his fear instead of trusting God, so God is going to chose someone else to rule Israel. But the Philistine hordes are still going to attack Israel, so let’s see what’s going on.

1 Sam. 13:15-22

8 15 Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.

16 Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash. 17 Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual, 18 another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim facing the wilderness.
19 Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!” 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened. 21 The price was two-thirds of a shekel for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.

22 So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.


Bleak. Dark, dark days. Six hundred men against the vast Philistine army. This is the same story over and over and over again. We’ve seen it when God took Israel out of Egypt, we’ve seen it when God gave Gideon victory over the Midianites, we’ve seen it with Hezekiah and the Assyrians: impossible odds where God’s people are given the chance to trust him. But you know what? It’s when our situations look the bleakest that God shines the brightest. It’s during the blackest nights that the stars shine more than ever. It’s in these situations that we need to hold on tight, and ask God for wisdom, guidance and strength. Tomorrow we’ll see what happens.

Let’s pray.
Father, the darkness is never so dark that it blots You out. You are stronger than anything that is happening in our lives. We will listen and obey. Amen.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  What dark situations in your life have made the brightness of God more evident than ever? I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a comment below to join the conversation.

 

If you’d like to go on a fantasy adventure through the first nine chapters of the Bible,  pick up a copy of my book, Jak and the Scarlet Thread. 12-year old Jak Hamelton gets thrown back to a particular garden paradise where he meets a man and a woman who get into trouble with a snake (sound familiar?). The comments coming back to me from kids, parents and ministry leaders  are overwhelming and humbling. Would love to hear what you think!

Nite Lite 10/6/11 “Teddy’s Button Pt 3, Cactus Ranch Pt 1 & Saul the Fool”

October 6, 2011 in Nite Lite with 0 Comments

Tonight in Lamplighter Theatre, Teddy finally meets an enemy and is very happy about it. Then we’re beginning The Story of Cactus Ranch, that will take us all the way to Christmas on Thursday nights. After that Saul does something very foolish.

Click here to go to tonight’s show.

10/6/11 Devo Transcript
1 Sam. 13:8-14

Tonight was going to be our last night in the book of 1 Samuel, but the story only gets better from here, so we’re going to stick around for a bit longer. So far Israel has rejected God as their king, so now Saul has been made the king. But God has promised to continue to bless Israel as long as they do what is right and follow Him. Right now, a huge army of Philistines has gathered against Israel and is threatening to wipe Israel out, and the soldiers are terrified. Many have either fled across the Jordan River or found caves and holes in the ground in which to hide. So let’s see what Saul does.

1 Sam. 13:8-14

8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.

 11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel.

   Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

 13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”

Wow. Saul took matters into his own hands because his army was shrinking and he thought he had better do something about it. But if we go back to 1 Samuel 10:8, what were his instructions? Wait for Samuel for seven days, and then Samuel would come and offer the sacrifices to God. Did Saul wait for seven days? Kind of. Really, though, he waited only until he couldn’t stand waiting any more because the army was slinking away. He waited until his fear got the best of him. But there was still daylight left in that seventh day because as soon as Saul finished with the sacrifices, Samuel showed up. Uh-oh. Now Saul is in hot water, and God has decreed he will take the kingdom away from Saul.

Seems kind of harsh, doesn’t it? Well, think about it this way: God is looking for people who are willing to trust him, and, without fear, to step out in faith…or in Saul’s case, to WAIT in faith. It all boils down to are you willing to trust God or not? And Saul didn’t have a whole lot of trust in God. That’s why God found a new man to lead.

What’s your trust look like? Do you wallow in fear or do you rest in confidence in God? What kinds of things in your life push you to be afraid? I’d love to hear about it. Fill out the comment form below to weigh in on the conversation.

But remember:  Do not be afraid. Let’s pray.

God, you are always with us, wanting us to rest in peace because you are always with us. There is no reason to be afraid. Help us to trust you more than Saul did. Amen.

If you’d like to go on a fantasy adventure through the first nine chapters of the Bible,  pick up a copy of my book, Jak and the Scarlet Thread. 12-year old Jak Hamelton gets thrown back to a particular garden paradise where he meets a man and a woman who get into trouble with a snake (sound familiar?). The comments coming back to me from kids, parents and ministry leaders  are overwhelming and humbling. Would love to hear what you think!

 

 

 

Nite Lite 10/5/11 “Teddy’s Button Pt 2, The Pond & 1 Samuel 13″

October 5, 2011 in Nite Lite with 0 Comments



Tonight in Lamplighter Theatre we find out what “Teddy’s Button,” actually is. Then in The Pond, the creatures take a trip to California because the writer is having a bad, bad day. After that, Israel is headed into battle and they’re way outnumbered.

Click here to go to tonight’s show.

10/5/11 Devo
1 Sam. 13:1-7
We just have a few nights left in this book. Last night, Samuel assured the Israelites that, even though they have rejected God as their king and asked for a human king, that God would bless them – as long as they obeyed him and followed him. But if they abandoned God and lived however they pleased, then he would go against them and life would be hard. Years pass with Saul as king. He has a son named Jonathan, and he is constantly at war with a group of people called the Philistines. So let’s see what happens.

1 Sam. 13:1-7
1 Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-[b]two years.

 2 Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.

 3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!”4 So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines.” And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.

 5 The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

   Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear.

 

Well, at least Saul is putting up a good fight against the Philistines. They’d like nothing more than to wipe Israel off the map. But it appears that the entire Philistine army has showed up and is ready to do some serious fighting, and Israel is way outnumbered, “soldiers as numerous as sand on the seashore.” That’s a lot of guys. So what does Israel do? Stand firm in God? Go bravely to battle? After all, God promised to watch over them.

No. They run! Like scared bunnies desperately looking for holes in the ground; some of them even escape across the Jordan River. So what happened to God’s promise? He said that as long as they obeyed him, things would go well. Doesn’t look too good now, though. We’ll delve more into that tomorrow., but for now I have a question:

What do you do when you feel outnumbered? You get a math assignment that’s really hard; the players on the other team are much bigger and faster than your team; or your family gets a huge bill in the mail and you don’t know how you’ll pay it? What do you do? Panic? Run away like a scared bunny? Or stand firm?

You see, it’s not possible for us to be “outgunned” by anything or anyone. When we follow God, God and his army of angels is around us all the time (Remember Elisha and his servant?). Doesn’t mean the math assignment gets easy, the opposing  team gets weaker, or that the huge bill necessarily goes away. But it does mean that we don’t need to be afraid to walk into that situation, trusting in God the whole time.

Let’s pray.
Father, life has all sorts of trouble. Help us to hold your hand and walk straight through it together with you. Amen.

Page 27 of 45« First...1020«2526272829»3040...Last »