Fifty-Two Weeks with God: God’S Creation and Men and Women Who Followed Christ

By Doctor John

Fifty-Two Weeks with God is composed of fifty-two meditations on God, Gods creation, and men and women who gave their lives for others. The book begins with New Year, the time we think of what we have done before and repent and resolve to correct ourselves. We sit in awe at Gods magnificent creation and what He has done for us. We meditate on the lives of others who felt the call to follow Christ and care for those in need. We meditate on the innocent children whose characters and beliefs we mold as we care for them by word and deed. We meditate on the spirit of God, the spirit of love and truth. We meditate on Gods promise for us to be with him in the warmth of his love for eternity if we follow His example and teaching.

Whatever is true, whatever is good, whatever is honorable, whatever is of good report. Whatever is lovely, whatever is pure; think on these things (Philippians 4:8).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Nov 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781452580982

Doctor John

Doctor John was born in 1931, during the Great Depression, in Citronelle, Alabama. He and his six brothers and sisters grew up in the family of a Methodist preacher and his wife. They learned to love themselves, their neighbors, work, and God’s good earth. After finishing high school John entered Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, to become a Methodist preacher like his father. During college he changed his major and became a premedical student. He earned his MD degree from Emory University. He did his intern and residency training in pediatrics at Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. After retirement, John began to meditate on God, God’s magnificent earth, God’s magnificent creation, religious holidays, and men and women who gave of themselves for the needs of others and the betterment of the brotherhood of mankind. These meditations have been incorporated into this book.

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Copyright © 2013 Doctor John.

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ISBN: 978-1-4525-8097-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-8099-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-8098-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013915604

Balboa Press rev. date: 10/8/2013

CONTENTS

Dedication

one New Year

two God’s Creation

three The Temple of the Soul

four Martin Luther King Day

five Man

six God’s Word

even Faith and Trust

eight Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday

nine Valentine’s Day

ten President’s Day

eleven Saint Patrick’s Day

twelve Lent

thirteen Ash Wednesday

fourteen Palm Sunday

fifteen Easter

sixteen Pentecost

seventeen My Brothers Keeper

eighteen Prayer

nineteen Mother’s Day

twenty Faith

twenty one Memorial Day

twenty two God’s Promise to Man

twenty three Man’s obedience to God

twenty four Father’s Day

twenty five God’s requirement of man

twenty six John the Baptist

twenty seven Bill Yopp

twenty eight Freedom

twenty nine Growing up

thirty Church

thirty one Holy Spirit

thirty two New Commandment

thirty three Columbus Day

thirty four David Livingston

thirty five God’s instructions for a healthy happy life

thirty six Mother Teresa

thirty seven Albert Schweitzer

thirty eight R. G, LeTourrneau

thirty nine Mahatma Gandhi

Forty Brother Robert Lawrence

forty one Children

forty two Childlike faith

forty three The Kingdom of Heaven

forty four Angels

forty five God’s desire for man

forty six Saint Georgia

forty seven Priorities

forty eight Thanksgiving

forty nine Allegiance

fifty Christmas

fifty one The Last Days

fifty two Eternity

Postscript

DEDICATION

These meditations are dedicated toe the memories of my father, Reverend Robert I, Lawrence and to my mother, Nettie Lou Bradley Lawrence.

These meditations are also dedicated to the memory of those men and women who gave their lives for the guidance and benefit of mankind throughout history.

I give thanks for those who gave me encouragement and helped me in preparation of this manuscript. Thanks to Allyson Carter, Johnny Lawrence, Ginger Burton, and to my wife, Audie. I thank Audie for her patience as I spent many hours away from her in preparation of the manuscript.

Permission to quote

Bible verses are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) and King James (KJV) of the Bible.

Factual information of people and places thought about in these meditations cam fro the Encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Catholic encyclopedia, biographies of people included, and personal contact.

Permission is given to quote by the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church.

Permission to quote lyrics from the United Methodist is granted from the Abingdon Press.

Think on these Things

Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever thing are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4: 8 (KJV)

Statement of my belief: I believe that there is only one God! People throughout history have called God different names and had different beliefs about God. He has been called God, Lord, Jehovah, Yahweh, The Lord God of Israel, Baal, Allah, Great Soul, Great Spirit, Sky Chief, Creator, and the Spirit of Love and Truth. I believe as the apostle Pau did when he said, We see God as looking through a mirror, dimly. I agree with Mother Teresa when she said, The love of Jesus should be shared."

WEEK ONE

New Year

Scripture

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature: The old things passed away but new things have come.

2 Corinthians 5: 17 (NASB)

Meditation

This is the first day of a new year. Throughout the world people celebrate the end of an old year and the beginning of a new year. We have made resolutions that we intended to keep. Some will keep them but a lot will forget about them by the end of the week. Some of us will have hangovers, guilt and suffer from the things that we did the year before. This is a good time to resolve not to do the things that we regretted doing the year before.

Saul of Tarsus was a devout Hebrew who strongly believed that he was doing the correct thing by doing what the church leaders believed. He thought that it was God’s will for him to persecute, imprison and stone to death those who had become Christian. One day, on the road to Damascus, God shined a great light in Saul’s eyes and Saul became blind. He was led to Damascus where God sent Ananias to find him.

So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying hands on him and said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus has appeared to you on the road by which you were coming has sent me so that you might regain you sight and be filled by the Holy Spirit.

Acts 9:17 (NASB)

Saul was converted to a new way of life and was re-named Paul. His spirit was reborn and he became a new creature, a devout follower of Christ Jesus and his way of life. We all can become new in spirit and become new persons if we follow the teachings of Christ, Emanuel, God with us.

As we begin a new year let us think and meditate on the words of Paul that he wrote to the church in Philippi.

Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever things are honest, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is in good report, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:,8 (NASB)

Thoughts for the week

As we begin a new year, let us remember

the things that we have done the year before,

and let us resolve not to do those things

over again the coming years.

The teachings of Christ, Emanuel

will guide us in our actions.

Prayer

Almighty and everlasting Father, God of those before us, we give thanks to You for being with us, providing for us and guiding us through the years. We pray that You will continue to be with us, through Your Son, Christ Jesus, as we begin a new year. May we be steadfast in his will and love throughout the year and through each year of our lives. We pray this in the name of Christ Jesus, Emanuel.

Amen

WEEK TWO

God’s Creation

Scripture

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Genesis 1: 1, 2 (NAS)

Meditation

Moses, who wrote the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, tells us that God created the earth and everything in it. Scientist tell us that God created the heavens and the earth over a long periods of time. The large mass of hot gas cooled ant the solid land was separated from the water and the air. The life that God began in the waters of the seas evolved over a long period of time until there were microscopic plants and animals that evolved into fish, larger fish and large whales. The early living things on the earth evolved into larger plants and animals, including man. Christ, Emanuel, told us that we did not need to pray to Him for things because He had created everything that we need.

As I sit on the porch in the mornings meditating on God’s magnificent creations I sit in awe at what God had done. As the sun rises over the trees and the mountains new leaves seem to spring forth on the trees. The grasses and other plants seem to burst forth with buds and beautiful flowers. The leaves clean the air after being used by machines, automobiles, plants, animals, and man. The leaves and grasses recycle the air; cleaning the air of carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen to be used again.

I think of how God has created the plants and the animals of the seas and of the plants and animals that cover and roam the earth. After vegetation God created animals to feed on it. Animals had ample vegetation to eat, grow and reproduce. Hummingbirds, bees, insects feed on the nectar of the flowers and pollinate the plants so that they can produce seeds and reproduce themselves.

As I feel the cool breeze and breathe the clean air I begin to reflect on our bodies. New born babies are clean, pure and fresh from God. I recall the times that I have cut or bruised myself. An army of blood cells come to the defense and begin to clean up the injured tissue, contamination and germs. The wound becomes red and inflamed and the battle progresses. After the inflammation clears and the wound is clean millions of worker cells come and repair the wound. When we break a bone millions of cells come and clear the