Life Lessons

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Great Sacrifice

Re-posting a poem I wrote six years ago on Memorial Day.

Tom's avatarTom's Treasure

Many have served,
     this much I know.
But how much honor
     do we really show?
One day a year
     we think of the brave.
Who fought in a war
     that led to their grave.
On yet another,
     we thank those alive.
Who served our great country
     so freedom could thrive. 

But as I consider
     the price that was paid.
The honor returned
     seems quickly to fade.
Do we really care
     the rest of the year?
For a child with no dad
     and a parent’s worst fear?
A son or a daughter
     who paid with their life.
Is the worst kind of news,
     it will cut like a knife. 

Do we stand there with them
     in the days filled with pain?
Or do…

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Encouragement & Prayer (5/24/20)

 

This is the audio from the May 24, 2020 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom

Here Am I: Called To Be a Peacemaker
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Here Am I: Called To Be a Peacemaker

While we continue to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe we have a great opportunity to represent Jesus well as we respond to God’s calling with a hearty, “Here Am I”!  Over the next 10 days I will continue sharing the devotions from my “Here Am I” book to help each of us pray about our response to God as He calls us to Himself.  Through time in prayer, this devotional journal was written to help you see and respond to God’s calling as you see Him working in your “everyday” life.

Here is day twenty-two with an important reminder that you, and those around you, have been called by God to be a peacemaker.

Called To Be a Peacemaker

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.“
Matthew 5:9 (NIV)

Does your presence in a situation tend to increase the peace or the conflict?  Why?  How does your response to God’s call to peace influence your ability to be a peacemaker?  Are there people in your life who have been difficult for you to make peace with?  Why?  Is it always possible to be at peace with everyone?  Explain.  What does it take for you to be at peace with God?  With others?  How can you apply those things to being one who helps others to have peace with God, with you, and with one another?

When we live with the peace that only God can give, He expects us to find ways to make peace even with our enemies.  While peace is a two-sided proposition and we can’t force someone to a position of peace with us, our responsibility is to do our part as far as peace depends upon us.  It is often through the process of listening and forgiveness that we find peace with God and one another and we are able to help others know the peace that comes from God.  Living as a peacemaker among people becomes a much easier task when we first have peace with God and work at helping people find peace with Him.

As you pray about being a peacemaker, ask God to help you know exactly what it is that has brought peace into your life.  Pray that you would grow in both listening and forgiving as you make peace with the people around you.  Pray that you would have the humility necessary to be available as a peacemaker to those who are caught up in the midst of conflict.  Pray for the persistence needed to keep at it when the going gets difficult and peace seems elusive.

In prayer,

Tom  

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Encouragement & Prayer (5/23/20)

 

This is the audio from the May 23, 2020 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom

Here Am I: Called To Peace
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Here Am I: Called To Peace

While we continue to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe we have a great opportunity to represent Jesus well as we respond to God’s calling with a hearty, “Here Am I”!  Over the next 11 days I will continue sharing the devotions from my “Here Am I” book to help each of us pray about our response to God as He calls us to Himself.  Through time in prayer, this devotional journal was written to help you see and respond to God’s calling as you see Him working in your “everyday” life.

Here is day twenty-one with an important reminder that you, and those around you, have been called by God to a life of peace.

Called To Peace

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.“
Colossians 3:15 (NIV)

How much peace do you feel in your life at the moment?  What do you feel are the causes for that level of peace?  Why?  Does living with peace require the successful resolution of all conflict?  Explain.  What role does being thankful have in experiencing peace in all circumstances?  Are there specific things that seem to repeatedly rob you of peace?  Why?  How can identifying those things, and how God was with you the last time those things happened, help you to have greater peace when they reoccur?

The cares of this world seem to do a pretty good job at disrupting the peace God wants us to live with.  Since there is no magic wand to get rid of those cares, God calls us to a peace that surpasses all understanding.  In the midst of conflict and discouraging circumstances, we can find peace in knowing God has been present before, during, and after all of the things that try to steal our peace.  His presence will carry us through the conflicts of life with the peace of knowing the troubles are only temporary.  When we live out this sacred calling of peace, we find that our relationship with God, and with others, is transformed.

As you pray about being called to peace, ask God to remind you of His presence during the times He seems most distant.  Pray that you would trust in God’s promises when the cares of this world try to destroy the peace He has called you to.  Pray that you would have courage in facing conflicts which are beyond your control with a peace that can only come from God.  Pray about how your faith will allow you to see God at work in the midst of difficult and trying times.

In prayer,

Tom  

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Encouragement & Prayer (5/22/20)

 

This is the audio from the May 22, 2020 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom

Here Am I: Called To Love
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Here Am I: Called To Love

While we continue to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe we have a great opportunity to represent Jesus well as we respond to God’s calling with a hearty, “Here Am I”!  Over the next 12 days I will continue sharing the devotions from my “Here Am I” book to help each of us pray about our response to God as He calls us to Himself.  Through time in prayer, this devotional journal was written to help you see and respond to God’s calling as you see Him working in your “everyday” life.

Here is day twenty with an important reminder that you, and those around you, have been called by God to love.

Called To Love

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.“
John 15:12 (NIV)

Who do you love?  Do they know it?  How?  How does being loved change the way you love?  What does it mean to love someone?  Does that look different based on who it is?  Explain.  Does the love God wants you to have for others always look like what the other person wants it to?  Why?  Are there people you don’t want to love?  Why?  How does experiencing God’s love for you help you to love people that may be difficult to love?  What would God want you to do differently today that would be a response to His call to love others?

While this may seem at first to be the same topic as the previous devotion, God’s calling to love is the giving aspect compared to the receiving that is done in being loved.  Loving people God’s way will always look out for their best even when doing so is not appreciated or desired.  Godly love is a giving of our self in order to lift someone else up.  Not only has God given us this sacred calling to love, but He demonstrated just how to do that through the sending of His Son to express His love for us.  Loving the hard to love is possible only when you realize just how much God has loved you.

As you pray about being called to love, ask God to help you notice the things that people actually need.  Pray that you would look to God for the strength and courage to love people you don’t like.  Pray that you would do the hard work of loving those who are difficult to love.  Pray that God would remind you of His great love for you even when you were living as His enemy.  Pray that your love for people would help others to know a God who loves them fully.

In prayer,

Tom  

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Encouragement & Prayer (5/21/20)

 

This is the audio from the May 21, 2020 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

You can find the live video feeds of these encouragement and prayer times on Impact Prayer Ministry’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In prayer,
Tom