(May 7, 2010)

Prayer House News!

It's Friday! You know what that means!

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Be Not Offended!

continued from yesterday

Proverbs 18:19 An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

This verse really says it all. Just think of the comparison here. A fortified city was considered impenetrable. The weapons of their day did not have the power behind them that today’s weapons have. They had rocks and arrows and swords, and probably a few catapults at best. So a fortified city was about the best example you could give as something strong and determined.
Now I want us to look at the same verse from the KJV which most of the scholars believe is a proper, if not better, rendition of this verse.

Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle. KJV

It is very difficult to win the heart of an offended brother. It would be easier to penetrate a fortified city. But then it gives the reason why. It’s because their own arguments are like the bars of the castle. In the KJV version it uses the word contentions. Their contentions are like the bars of a castle. When we contend for something – what are we doing? We are arguing, we are asserting, we are insisting upon. So the arguments and insistence of the offended person becomes the very bars that keep him in his prison. He cannot get free because of what he contends for.

So here is the question. What right do we have to contend for anything other than our faith? On Monday night of Family Camp the speaker, who is a missionary in Argentina, Rocky Grams told of a time when they were being robbed. They were held at gun point for an hour and ten minutes while they watched the thieves take everything of value in their home.

They even watched them load their car on a flatbed. Later as Sherry Grams was beginning to complain to God about her loses – God stopped her and said everything they took was a gift to you. It was not yours. What right do we have to contend for anything? If she would have insisted on the return of all of her goods she would have put herself in a prison of self-pity and her own contending would have been the bars of her prison.

There is one last thing I want us to consider yet. In the last two verses of this chapter Jesus gives us some life changing advice.

Matthew 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Once again Jesus sets the example of what each of us should be. He literally says here, “learn from me, I am gentle and humble in heart.” We know what it means to be humble. It means to be low, not rising far from the ground. There used to be a certain sect of monks who would always walk with their hoods over their heads looking down. If any of them actually looked up and looked around that was considered worldly. I think that’s kind of extreme but it does make a good point. Too many of us get into trouble because we won’t assume the humble position of looking down. We lift our heads and look at all things without any reserve.

But then he also said he was gentle. Learn from me, I am gentle and humble. According to the Greek, the gentle person is one who is of a mild disposition. When their feathers are ruffled they look the other way and walk away with their heads down. They do not exemplify the spirit of this world by looking up – or the rising up of their spirit. They are not easily offended subsequently, they are free. They are not in a prison of anger or rage – held their by their own contentions.

Is there something in your life that Jesus wants you to simply lay down? Are you contending for something that is not necessary? Are you discontent?

END

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Medication: A Merry Heart

Parents evolution

My wife and I are both the youngest child. Combine that with our own experience as parents and we often satirically talk about how things change as you have more children:

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Feeling the Baby Move - First Child: I placed my hand on my wive's tummy every chance I could for two months waiting for that first time when I could feel the baby move. Hours upon hours I waited until that magic moment when, I felt this little movement. We called all of our relatives to tell them about the blessed experience.

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Second Child: When it first happened, my wife called me at the office. I quickly ran home and felt the baby move. We included the experience in all of our letter to our family.

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Third Child: She told me the baby moved. I told her I would check it our during the next commercial break. I missed out because her mother called on the telephone so I went on watching Monday night football. By the end of the third quarter, I finally felt the baby move.

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Fourth Child: We were in bed and I was trying to sleep. I turned to her and said "Can't you make your tummy stay still? I'm trying to sleep." When it became clear that the baby would be jumping around for a while, we called the pizza man for a delivery.

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The Trip to the Hospital - First Child: Every time we felt the slightest B&H contraction, we rushed to the hospital. I would carry my wife to the car and lay her down in the back seat surrounded by pillows.

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Second Child: We timed the contractions. By the time she had three in thirty minutes, we rushed to the hospital. She sat in the front seat, with it leaned back and a pillow behind her head and another at her feet.

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Third Child: I came home from the office as soon as she started having regular contractions. When they were five minutes apart and hard, we went to the hospital. I gave her a pillow to hold along the way.

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Fourth Child: When she called me at the office and told me that she was having contractions hard and five minutes apart, I told her to drive to the hospital. I would meet her there as soon as I finished the set of correspondence I was working on. I reminded her not to forget the pillows.

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The First Step - First Child: My wife grabbed the camera. I grabbed the Video Camera. My wife took four rolls of film. We immediately ran out to the one-hour developing place and had all four rolls developed with double prints. We had the best picture blown up to 24" X 36" and framed. We hung it up in the entry hall. I had a professional studio turn the four hours of video I taped into a one-hour documentary complete with voice-over by a local anchor-man.

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Second Child: We took one roll of film and five minutes worth of video. The next day we took the film and had it developed by a twenty-four hour developing center. I took the best picture and put it into my wallet.

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Third Child: We couldn't find the video-camera and we only had five shots left on the roll of film. We took all five shots but I don't remember if we ever got the roll developed.

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Fourth Child: I quickly got up and grabbed the camera. I placed it up high so the child wouldn't grab it.

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The First Time the Child Fell and Got a Cut - First Child: My wife and I frantically ran over to the child. We swept him up and rushed him to the emergency room. No stitches were needed but we spent the night with him in his room just in case the bleeding started again.

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Second Child: We walked over to her, picked her up and quickly bandaged her up. We spent the next two hours rocking her in the living room to comfort the pain.

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Third Child: I told my wife that if he was still crying in a couple of minutes, we should go over and make sure he isn't hurt too badly. When he didn't stop crying, we bandaged up the cut and laid him in his bed for a while but we went on about our business.

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Fourth Child: Put a bandage on the cut and told him it'd get better after he stopped crying.

(May 6, 2010)

Prayer House News!

It's Thursday, the day after hump day. It's nice to be towards the end of the week.

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Pray with me for a move of God this weekend. It's Mothers Day on Sunday but I think God can still move in spite of that (as long as he gets permission).

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Be Not Offended!

In 1 Samuel chapter 8 there is an interesting portion of scripture about this very thing. God had purposed that Israel should be led by judges rather than by kings because God Himself was already their king. So when Samuel came to retirement age he appointed his two sons as judges over Israel however, they were corrupt and accepted bribes. So the elders of Israel asked Samuel to appoint a king for them.

1 Samuel 8:6-7 But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. (7) And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

I think Samuel was on the verge of being offended at their request. It says he was displeased. Samuel had every right to think they were rejecting him because he had preached for years that God only wanted judges to rule over Israel. This seemed like a direct attack on all that he had stood for. But then the Lord stepped in and gave a little perspective. He in essence said, “Samuel you don’t have a right to be offended because it is not you they have rejected – they have rejected me.”

If you are kingdom minded – if you have any sense of working for the kingdom of God, then you have no right to take on a personal offense because it is not you they criticize, it is Jesus. If I witness to my neighbors and they reject me and shun me I cannot take that personally because it is not me they have rejected. It’s Jesus!

Just last week at Family Camp the speaker was sharing a testimony about a girl who had gone through many troubles in life – she had been raped and mis-treated – and yet her hearts desire was to minister to Muslim people. She was taken up with being a missionary. When I heard that I said to myself, “Praise God.” Then a thought came to me and I said to myself, “Why am I thanking God for the burden she has to reach Muslims?” Have you ever found yourself doing that very thing? Have you ever heard about the work someone else is doing and yet you thank the Lord for that ministry?

Then I realized it’s because she did not put that burden in her own heart. This has nothing to do with her. It has everything to do with what Jesus has put in her heart. It’s His ministry through her so she doesn’t have to take any criticisms personally, it’s Jesus they reject.
Some might say, “Shouldn’t we stand up for Jesus? If they have rejected Jesus, don’t we have the right to take up and offense for him?” Not at all! Jesus does not want us to take up and offense for him at all. This is one of the great problems in the church today. People tend to take up offenses of others.

The problem with that is that only the offended one can forgive.
Suppose you take up an offense for Jesus because you did something for him that someone else rejected. So now, because they rejected Jesus, in defense of him, you take on an offense. It seems right to stand up for Jesus doesn’t it! But here is the problem – if you are not the one they rejected then they really have no obligation to come to you for forgiveness. Then suppose somewhere down the road they get right with Jesus and they go to him and acknowledge that all this time they have been rejecting him and ask him to forgive them. Then suppose Jesus does forgive them – but you still have this offense against them. Now they are right with Jesus so you are the only one left in sin through your anger.

That takes us right back to our opening verse.

Matthew 11:6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Blessed is the man who is not easily offended because of me. In this sense it’s being offended for the reverse reasons. It’s because of mercy that some people are offended. That is exactly what Jesus was getting at when he makes his statement about the greatness of John.

Matthew 11:11-12 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

The Pharisees found that to be very offending. They had established a religious system that very few people could penetrate. Rarely could a man attain their standards for rightness with God. They had themselves so high on the religious pedestal that no common man had any hope of measuring up. So when the Son of God comes along and says no one has been greater than John the Baptist they were offended because of his mercy.

How dare Jesus tell them that John was just as good if not better than them? That would ruin their whole system and take them out of power. Many people are offended because of mercy. But regardless of how or why a person gets offended an offended man is difficult to deal with because the only way to be offended is to be discontent with life and when you are discontent it doesn’t matter what others do – you are not about to listen.
continued tomorrow

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Medication: A Merry Heart

Larry the Cable Guy - proverbs.

1.A day without sunshine is like night.

2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture most people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.

14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?

15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?

21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'

(Cinco De Mayo)

Prayer House News!

It's Family Week so we don't have any mid week classes this week.

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I got to see the new Britten baby yesterday. He looks exactly like Sara and Chad.

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Tomorrow morning is our men's breakfast. See you at Bonnies Diner.

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Be Not Offended!

continued from yesterday

There is a difference between being offended and being hurt or displeased. Samuel was displeased with their request for a king but that is not the same as being personally offended.

If a person is hurt or crushed over a situation – that is quite different from being offended. We can be hurt without being offended. We can be crushed over something someone has done to us but if we are offended that is a different story.

If someone does something to us that we do not believe is right we can respond one of two ways. We can take it personally and become offended, or we can take the perspective that they need prayer because what they did was not very Christ like. Subsequently, we become burdened for their souls. To be hurt or crushed or burdened is not the same as being offended.

Being offended is quite like being discontent. A couple of weeks ago Pastor Joshua preached a great message on checking our attitudes. Discontentment is associated with our attitude.

Philippians 4:11 “…for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” KJV

When Paul said that he had learned to be content no matter what state he was in – at first I thought he was talking about Iowa. That would make our own Pastor Chad as spiritual as Paul the Apostle because Chad could be content in Iowa. Recently I did a conference in North Platte, Nebraska and I now think Paul might have been referring to Nebraska.
Now let’s go back and re-look at our opening verse.

Matthew 11:6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

I think it’s interesting that the word “blessed” also means “happy.” The happy man is rarely offended. Being offended is an issue of pride. The proud man struggles with happiness because happiness relates to humility. Happiness means you accept things more readily. The person who can easily laugh at himself is rarely offended.

When we think of someone who is austere we think of someone who us strict, or stern. Usually, that is how we describe someone we consider to be spiritual. In many ways that is what bothered the Pharisees about Jesus.

If Jesus was really the Messiah why was he always talking about people being happy? Shouldn’t he have had a furrowed brow about the sin of the people? Shouldn’t he have come down on the people? Do you see the difficulty with a discontent people? That is exactly what John the Baptist was and they didn’t like him either.

Do you remember when we had Don Stuckless here for one of our Missions Conventions a few years back? He got up here and played his spiritual instrument as he preached. He made a passing statement about a book he wanted to write called the Un-Offendable Christian. He talked a little bit about how it should almost be impossible to be offended as a Christian. I agree.
continued tomorrow

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Medication: A Merry Heart

The Farmer and his Dog

A farmer named Muldoon lived alone in the Irish countryside except for a pet dog he doted on. The dog finally died and Muldoon went to the parish priest, saying "Father, the dog is dead. Could you possibly be saying a mass for the poor creature?"

Father Patrick told the farmer "No, we can't have services for an animal in the church, but I'll tell you what, there's a new denomination down the road apiece, and no telling what they believe in, but maybe they'll do something for the animal."

Muldoon said "I'll go right now. By the way, do you think $50,000 is enough to donate for the service?" Father Patrick replied "Why didn't you tell me the dog was Catholic."

(May 4, 2010)

Prayer House News!

Big News!

Sara Britten gave birth to Levi Lemuel Britten, on Monday May 3rd, at 12:40pm at Aurora Hospital. The “little” guy weighed in at 10lbs even, and was 21” long. Mom and Baby are doing fine. They will more than likely stay through Tuesday night in the hospital.

Let's start praying for this little one right away.

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Be Not Offended!

continued from yesterday

Matthew 11:7-10 As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? (8) If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces. (9) Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. (10) This is the one about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'

Two different times Jesus asks them, “What did you go out into the desert to see?” He is referring to when the crowds would go into the desert to see John the Baptist. He says, “Did you go to see a reed swayed in the wind.” Did you go out in the desert to see a prophet and expect him to be this gentle reed which does not possess the strength to stand up for what it believes?

Did you think the prophet of God would be tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine? Prophets are not easily swayed. They see things in black and white – there are no gray areas in their doctrine. So Jesus is saying that John the Baptist looked and sounded exactly like what a prophet should look and sound like.

Then he says it again. “What did you go out to see?” Did you think you would find a man dressed in fine clothes? This is the one about whom it is written. This is the one about whom it was prophesied that he would wear camel skin and a leather belt.

The point Jesus was making is this; John was exactly what he was supposed to be but the people were discontent with that. And when you are discontent you can easily be offended by the spoken word.

Matthew 11:18-19 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' (19) The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."

Jesus is using verse 17 to make his point in these verses. John the Baptist showed up on the scene neither eating nor drinking. This does not mean that he didn’t literally eat or drink because the Bible talks of his diet of locust and wild honey. It’s saying that he came in the way most people would think a prophet should. He came with a stern message, he came with a “Thus saith the Lord.” He was a no nonsense kind of guy and yet they said he has a demon. Comparing that to verse 17 this would be the part that says we sang a dirge for you but you did not mourn.
Then Jesus talks about himself and he says that since everyone rejected John’s stern approach – he came in the opposite mode. He says he came eating and drinking. And they called him a glutton and a drunkard.

So in essence Jesus is saying, this generation of people is very discontent and easily offended. "John" came one way, "neither eating nor drinking," abstaining as a Nazarite, and you were not pleased with him. I, the Son of man, have come in a different manner, "eating and drinking;" not practicing any austerity, but living like other people do, and you are equally dissatisfied - you are even more displeased. You ridicule John for not eating and drinking like a normal person, and yet you abuse me for doing the very things you said John should have done. Nothing pleases you. That is this generation.
continued tomorrow
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Medication: A Merry Heart

Companies Merging

Times are tough, so many companies are contemplating mergers
and acquisitions. Here are a few to keep an eye on:

FAIRCHILD ELECTRONICS and HONEYWELL COMPUTERS.
(The new company will be called Farewell Honeychild)

POLYGRAM RECORDS, WARNER BROTHERS, and KEEBLER.
(The new company will be called Poly-Warner-Cracker)

W.R. GRACE CO., FULLER BRUSH CO, MARY KAY COSMETICS, and
HALE BUSINESS SYSTEMS.
(The new company will be called Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace)

3M and GOODYEAR.
(The new company will be called MMM Good)

JOHN DEERE and ABITIBI-PRICE.
(The new company will be called Deere Abi)

HONEYWELL, IMASCO, and HOME OIL.
(The new company will be called Honey Im Home)

DENISON MINES, ALLIANCE, and METAL MINING.
(The new company will be called Mine All Mine)

KNOTT'S BERRY FARM and THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN.
(The new company will be called Knott NOW)

ZIPPO MANUFACTURING, AUDI, DOFASCO, and DAKOTA MINING.
(The new company will be Zip Audi Do-Da)

MOTOROLA and ENRON.
(The new company will be called Moron)

(May 3, 2010)
Prayer House News

We had a big weekend! It started at SNS with a baptismal service followed by Ice Cream. You can see by the picture below that they gave me the little guys (The Dennee boys).

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Then on Sunday, May 2nd it was our 11th anniversary. Eleven years ago to the day we started Prayer House. God had continued to bless our church through the years. For that, we will continually praise Him.
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This is Family Week for us which means our schedule will be trimed down a bit. No mid-week services. Make sure you don't show up at 6:30pm.

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We really need help with mowing our lawns and landscaping. Please call the office and let us know.

We had 16 people baptized in all.

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Be Not Offended!

Have you ever been offended? Perhaps you find that question offensive. I’m not sure if there is anything that affects our relationships more than this issue. When a person is offended they see everything from a certain perspective and it is usually not a good perspective.

Matthew 11:6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Jesus is saying that a man is blessed if he does not fall away from the faith because of Him. But the phrase “fall away,” in the Greek, means to be not offended. I like the way the KJV puts it.

Matthew 11:6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. KJV

The word “offence” also means “stumbling block.” This verse could be rendered, (Jesus speaking) "Happy is he to whom I shall not be a stumbling-block." That is, happy is he who shall not take offence at my poverty and lowliness of life, so as to reject me and my doctrine. Happy is the one who can, despite my poverty and obscurity, see the evidence that I am the Messiah, and follow me.
Lets back up for a moment and give a little background to verse 6.

Matthew 11:2-5 When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples (3) to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (4) Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: (5) The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

John the Baptist probably wished that Jesus would just publicly proclaim himself as the Christ. I’m not sure if the answer He gave really satisfied John’s disciples. He said, “Just go tell him what you see. You figure it out.” Jesus replied that he gave sufficient evidence of who he is by his works. And if a man would choose to discover it, he was a blessed man.

As I was studying this chapter the verse that really stuck out to me was verse 17. So what we are going to do is take a look at this verse and then go back and look at some of the preceding verses.

Matthew 11:17 "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.”

Isn’t that an interesting verse? You didn’t dance, you didn’t mourn. I began to look at this verse in light of the preceding verses and it finally began to make sense. Jesus is talking about discontentment.

Christ is using children as an example here to reprove the inconsistency and fickleness of that group of people. He says they were like children: nothing pleased them. He makes reference to the "playing" or the "games" of children.

What we can conclude from verse 17 is that among the children’s sports and games, was probably an imitation of a wedding or festive occasion with flute playing and dancing. So the scriptures say, “We played the flute and you did not dance.”

In their day funerals were attended with mournful music, and lamentation, and howling. It is not improbable that their children also, in play: imitated a mournful funeral procession. So the scriptures say, “We played a dirge for you and you did not mourn.” In other words: Nothing pleases you; you are discontent.

All of this relates back to the fact that John’s disciples were still wondering if Jesus was the Messiah.
continued tomorrow

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Medication: A Merry Heart
Top 10 Reasons God Created Eve

10. God worried that Adam would always be lost in the garden because men hate to ask for directions.
9. God knew that Adam would one day need someone to hand him the TV remote. (Men don't want to see what's ON television, they want to see WHAT ELSE is on!)

8. God knew that Adam would never buy a new fig leaf when his seat wore out and would therefore need Eve to get one for him.

7. God knew that Adam would never make a doctor's appointment for himself.

6. God knew that Adam would never remember which night was garbage night.

5. God knew that if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to handle childbearing.

4. As "Keeper of the Garden," Adam would never remember where he put his tools.

3. The scripture account of creation indicates Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden.

2. As the Bible says, "It is not good for man to be alone!"

1. When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched His head and said, "I can do better than that."