debates...

There are a few children in our house working on debate speeches ~ funny how when you need a topic to debate you can't find one (maybe a better choice of words would be "select" one) but you can debate all day with you mom, brothers, sisters, dad about the silliest things!
We'll keep you posted on how the foster care debate and the listening to music while studying debate go!!!

I found it interesting that Jeremiah was debating with God in our OT verse today. Of course God knew what they were doing AND what Jeremiah had done. God was listening -- maybe He wasn't answering as quickly as Jeremiah wanted... hmm I am often so similar! How counter-cultural it is to serve those who hate us -- but what a testimony of His amazing love and grace!!!

Jeremiah 18:18-20
¹⁸ They said, "Come, let's make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not be lost, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let's attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says."

¹⁹ Listen to me, O LORD; hear what my accusers are saying! ²⁰ Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember that I stood before you and spoke in their behalf to turn your wrath away from them.

Matthew 20:17-28
¹⁷Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, ¹⁸"We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death ¹⁹and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"
²⁰Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

²¹"What is it you want?" he asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."

²²"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?"
"We can," they answered.

²³Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."

²⁴When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. ²⁵Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ²⁶Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— ²⁸just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

If you are in a challenging situation may you give God the glory and honor by allowing Him to work through you -- SHINE for HIM!!!

Shalom!