Len's Lines: A Little Religion on a Positive Note

By Leonard Granger

The ancient and honorable sport of angling is what Lens Lines is all about. Fishing with its roots deep in the past and its traditions continuing to the present, provides us with a constant source of challenging stories. We hope you will find them interesting, and maybe even amusing at times.

It is a real honor to write for this newspaper again, after some ten years since the last Lens Lines column. During that time I was taking care of my wife on a 24/7 basis, operating the farm, and continuing the wholesale fishing tackle business. It has been six months since she went home to be with the Lord and she said she would be there waiting for me. I told her the rest of my days I would try to live a life helping others.

Lens Lines format has changed on April 1, 2011. While the stories are still about fishing they are no longer about fishing for fish. Now the stories hopefully will appeal to bringing Christians of all denominations back to churches in our area. The churches in California are only seeing some three percent of the population in church on Sunday. It is our prayer God will speak to you and join us in the church of your choice. If you want to reach me my address is [e-mail]. Story ideas are most welcome as we share Gods Good news.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490882123

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Copyright © 2015 Leonard Granger.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-8213-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-8212-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015908505

WestBow Press rev. date: 6/9/2015

Contents

Introduction

Reaching Out

I Will Give You Rest

On The Battlefield For My Lord

Christians Can Learn From Geese

Enter To Worship– Leave To Serve

God’s Lawn

God’s True Love

How To Never Grow Old

Humans Rebel

Love the neighbor as a brother

My Jewish Friend

Spreading the Gospel

The Country Church

Church Summer Camp

Church Garden

Do We Look To The Lord For Answers

The New Year Is A Blessing

The Raven Story

Under God’s Wings

Trust In The Lord

Human Life

Believe in Prayer

God Still Answers Prayer and Knows Best

Family Rules

Is This Life God’s Way?

Some Things Change— Others Never

On The Higher Ground

The Lord’s Flowers

Vacation Bible School

Prayer Is Powerful

Heaven For Me?

The Lord Heals

The Walls of Jerusalem

Share With Others

Prayer Is The Answer

Pray For Others

Our Lord Lives

Let Your Light Shine

Christians Share With Others

Jesus The Son Of God

The Family of God

The Christian Family

Christians Live Longer

The Lords Disciples-

The Lord Provides

The Lord Hears Our Prayers

The Country Church

Praise The Lord

Walking With The Lord

The Lord Provides The Rain

Sodom and Gomorrah

Let Us Look To The Lord For Answers

Christian Marriage

Talk To The Lord In Prayer

The Bible Belt

Welcome —What Were Your Ancestors?

Bitterness Change It To Betterness

Created Or Made?

The Great Communicator

When Were You Saved?

Trials and Tribulations

Hope

God’s Church

Where Is Your Church?

The Lord Answers Prayers

Spreading The Gospel Worldwide

What Never Changes?

Summer Vacation Bible School

Praise The Lord

Do You Love Jesus?

Church Camp

Luck Or An Answer To Prayer

Reaching Others

Trust or Faith?

The Garden Soils

Walking In the Holy Spirit

Man’s Helpmate

Early Christian Ancestors

A Safe Home

Five Steps To Failure

Spreading the Gospel

Learning To Pray

Do We Look To The Lord For Answers

Christianity In The World

Sand Castles

Physical Blessings

The Lord Hears Our Prayers

The Lord Heals His Way

The World’s Savior’s Birthday

Spreading The Gospel To Others

Is The Lord Our Master

The Lord Answers Prayers

A Prophet Of Doom

Cost, Adjustment, Commitment

Church With A Vision

Leave Sins Behind

The Trinity Study

The Lord Blesses According To His Will

Our Lord Used An Airplane

Search For A Church

Introduction

This book I believe is an example of Christian living, as we put our gracious and loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ first in our lives. Our Lord is there to carry us over the trials and tribulations of life and put us on the solid higher ground if we only put our Hope, Trust, and Faith in Him. The short stories in Volume Two were first published in the Friday edition each week of the Dixon Tribune, Dixon California.

My purpose was to write a Christian column Lens Lines —A Little Religion On A Positive Note, and I continually pray it will get readers to again return to the church of their choice and worship our Lord Jesus Christ. As I have no Bible College training it has been a challenge to write, but I asked in prayer for the Lord to guide me. I am very thankful to my Pastor Jerald Harder who reviews the columns for spiritual correctness as applied to the stories.

As an Iowan country boy who is now 82 years young and living on my farm in California, the columns have a country flavor in many cases. Trust you will enjoy how the Lord has affected my life as I write Lens Lines- A Little Religion On A Positive Note.

Reaching Out

A s I write this column each week I pray that it is reaching out to the readers with broad enough subjects that it will keep their interest. We read in the newspapers where the population of our wonderful country is turning away from the God that has blessed us over and over. Why do we think now that the government is all powerful and can take care of our needs? I try in this column to get our people back to church and put their trust in the Lord. Our founding fathers of this country looked to God and our country was founded on Biblical principles. In God We Trust even appears on our coins and money we circulate all over the world, but is it now only words?

People have asked why I write my column Lens Lines? I write as God has spoken to me from His Word and try to quote Bible verses in the columns. If you want to read the many columns they appear on TipTopWebsite.com/LensLines. and many go worldwide on Faithwriters.com to 190 countries.

God gave us His Book the Bible, the most read book of all time, filled with inspired verses and stories from the beginning of our earth that will guide and direct us. It covers every aspect of our lives and how men of God in the Old Testament reached out to the heavenly power for answers as they met the trials and tribulations of their time. Then in the New Testament, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to give us a way to reach His Father. In John 3-17, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He died on the cross and shed His blood to cover our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day. Our living gracious and loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now sits on the right hand of His Father in Heaven and everything we encounter today is in His plan as we put our Hope, Trust and Faith in Him.

We today have the Bible to guide and direct us as we likewise face the world with all its problems. If we only pray and read the Bible daily asking for the Lords help He will bless us as it says in the Bible. Matthew 21-22, And All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. And in John 14-6 Jesus said, I am the way. the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me. I pray our country will turn to God for answers of our pressing problems just as our founding fathers.

Trust this Sunday each of us will be in the church of our choice singing and worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God Bless America

I Will Give You Rest

W hen we became a born-again child of God, we realized at that point in our loves, we could not save ourselves. We put our trust in our gracious and loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we stopped trying to earn our salvation by works. We could now enter into rest and retire from trying to be our own savior.

Our Bible tells us in Matthew 11:28, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Most Christians have learned that it is settled from that moment and would not dream of going back to the days of trying to earn their salvation. We are saved and we know it.

That is how we began the Christian life, but this is only the beginning, as we try to walk in the footsteps of Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and serve Him. Our Lord is daily calling to us to Come to me and I will give you rest. Some Christians struggle with past sin, their memories, their emotions, and their feelings. However, our Lord has said he will take our burdens, that hold us in bondage, and give us rest. The rest the Lord offers is to cover every area and let us rest in peace and not worry, which is a sin.

When our relationship is right with our Lord, then we can serve Him with all our God given talents. In Mark 16:15, the Lord tells all his followers, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.

Our Lord will open doors in so many ways to let us serve Him. It is a wonderful feeling when we are serving the Lord everyday and one day He will call us home to be with Him for eternity

Trust this Sunday we will all be in the church of our choice singing and worshiping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God Bless America

After reading that only some three percent of the people in California are in church on any Sunday, I prayed Lord what would you like me to do??? He answered my prayers saying, use a blessing I have given you to reach out to fellow Christians, as God is still the answer for all problems. America is a great nation but it has turned away from God, who is the provider of all things, and we have forgotten how our founders made this country great with God’s help. Let us all remember to pray daily and praise the Lord for all the blessings he has given us.

Someone has said that if Christians really understood the full power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.

Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for just one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing in America. If you my fellow Christians would like to participate: Evening prayer at 9:00 PM Eastern Time, 8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, and 6 PM Pacific, let us stop one minute and pray for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to join us and participate, please pass this along.

Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have; so let us pray that our fellow Dixon neighbors will put their trust in God and again fill to overflowing our churches.

God Bless America

On The Battlefield For My Lord

O ften we talk to other Christians about what they are doing to serve our gracious and loving Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Some say they are on the battlefield for the Lord and will serve Him till they die. That is a broad area of service and may be full time service as a Pastor, missionary or part time as a Sunday School teacher or deacon.

There are so many ways to service the Lord, we find in the Bible this verse, as the Lord is speaking, John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am, there shall also my servants be, if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.

The Lord’s servant as a missionary in a far distant country may be on a battlefield, as many places in the world now are hostile to Christians. We pray for their protection and guidance that the Lord provides them from day to day.

We also pray that the Lord will give everyone serving the Lord in our area, power and boldness to reach out to spread the Good Word to those we come in contact. We gather in our churches to worship the Lord and I am reminded of a sign in a country church in Michigan, where my family attended. It read "Enter To Worship— Leave To Serve.

All though out the Bible there are references telling us how we should serve our Lord. Whatever way we use our God given talents we should pray about them, so we can walk in the footsteps of our Lord. It is a great feeling, we as Christians have in our hearts, when we are doing something to serve the Lord.

Our Lord tells us in Psalm 10-23, Serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord is God, It is he that has made us, and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

An old Pastor used to sing, It’s a battlefield brother not a recreation room, It’s a fight and not a game, run if you want, run if you will, –but I have come here to stay.

Praise the Lord in all we do and let us serve him on the battlefield till he calls us home. What a wonderful day that will be, a home lasting for eternity with the Lord, when we hear him say, that our work is completed here on earth.

Pray each of us will be in the church of our choice, singing and praising our Lord Jesus Christ, this Sunday.

God Bless America

Christians Can Learn From Geese

W e look forward to the coming spring with the trees budding out with new leaves, and we will be watching the geese head north after the winter visiting with us.

As a goose in formation flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird following. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone. As people in the church we share a common interest and can get closer to God as we are traveling on the thrust of one another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone and quickly gets back into formation to gain the advantage of