Armor of God Series - Gospel of Peace

I'm continuing my series of letters on the Armor of God.  As always, feel free to use these letters in whatever way you find helpful.


"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."  Ephesians 6:14-15

In my last several letters, I've been writing to you about the Armor of God, which is found in the book of Ephesians in the New Testament of the Bible. If you consider that our spiritual life is similar to a battle against evil, then picture yourself as the soldier and you have to ready yourself for battle. The armor that a soldier puts on is for protection. Just like a soldier going into battle, we have to take certain measures to protect ourselves from evil in this world.

We've talked about the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness, and today we are ready to talk about the next item listed in Scripture. Wearing the right kind of shoes is essential for the activity you are engaging in. Or maybe you are more comfortable not wearing shoes! I used to like to go barefoot when I was younger, but the older I get, the more important it is for me to wear shoes that support my feet.

Ephesians 6:15 talks about fitting our feet with readiness and that this readiness comes from the gospel of peace. What does that mean? I think it means we need to be ready to share the love of God and the gospel with everyone around us - even our enemies. Everyone needs to hear the good news of Christ - that He died for our sins and will forgive us our sins if we ask him to. This gospel - the good news - is what gives us peace.

Is there someone that you know - maybe in your family, your school or your community - that doesn't know about the gospel of peace? I would encourage you to share the good news with that person.

So far we've covered truth, righteousness and peace. Here are a few more Bible verses about peace that you can look up. John 14:27, Philippians 4:7 and Romans 15:13.

Here are links to the other letters in this series.

Introduction
Belt of Truth
Breastplate of Righteousness

Armor of God Series - Breatsplate of Righteousness

I'm continuing my series of letters on the Armor of God. Here are a couple links to the other letters in this series. As always, feel free to use these letters in whatever way you find helpful.

Introduction
Belt of Truth

I've been writing to you about the Armor of God. It says in Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."  There is an enemy that wants to keep us from God, but with the armor of God we can win against sin.

Today's piece of armor is the breastplate of righteousness. A breastplate is a piece of metal that covers your chest and specifically your heart. Being righteous means being right with God. We need to protect our hearts - the center of our lives - with righteousness. If you imagine putting a breastplate on each day, you are putting on a layer of protection to keep sin out of our hearts and lives. Because we aren't actually putting on a breastplate, we need to think of things we can do to help protect our hearts from sin. I think that if we seek God and His ways by reading his word and praying for wisdom and protection, we are actively protecting ourselves from sin.

Proverbs 119:9-11 says, "How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

Pray. Read the Bible. Memorize scripture. This is how you seek God and protect yourself from sin.

Armor of God - Belt of Truth

I've just started a new series of letters to send to my sponsored kids. This series is on the Armor of God and last month I sent an introductory letter. This month I'm focusing on the belt of truth.  As always, feel free to use this in any way that is helpful.

Hello friend! How are you?

In my last letter I introduced you to the Bible passage from Ephesians 6:10-18. I would encourage you to read those verses regularly - every day even. You can read them as a prayer. When I was younger I read them every morning with my mom before going to school. When we got to verse 13 and it says to stand, we would stand. Then we would start pretending to put on the pieces of armor that are listed in the following verses. 

Today I want to talk about the belt of truth, which is the first piece of armor listed in these verses. Do you have a belt or have you ever worn a belt? I'll be honest...I don't love wearing a belt because it can be uncomfortable, but sometimes it really helps me keep my pants or skirt up and that's important! 

I like the image of wrapping our waists in truth. When we put truth in place like a belt, we keep everything else in place! For a soldier wearing armor, the belt served as a place for them to hang their sword. If you read ahead in these verses a little bit, you'll see that the sword of the Spirit is described as the Word of God. John 17:17 says "Sanctify them by your truth. Your Word is truth."

When we know what God's Word says, we know truth and we can stand firm in that truth in times of trouble. I don't know about you, but I find this very encouraging. Just like a belt holds everything together, so does the truth. In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  And in Colossians 1:17 Paul tells us "He is before all things and in him all things hold together."

Jesus is our truth. Jesus holds all things together. 

Armor of God Series - introduction

It's been a while since I've shared a letter writing post, but I've recently decided to write another series to my Compassion kids and thought I'd share the letters here as well. I share these here so that you can be inspired and encouraged to write to your own sponsored children. Feel free to use as much of this letter as you want when writing to your own kids.

Greetings from Oregon!

     How are you? We are well. Today are enjoying a day of warmer weather and lots of sunshine. Normally during this time of year it rains a lot. We are very happy when the sun decides to come out and warm things up. All the rain allows for all the beautiful flowers to grow and this is one of the most beautiful times of the year. We have trees blooming that have so many blooms they look pink! I'll include a photo for you to see.

     When I was younger and still in school, my brother, mom and I would eat breakfast together every morning. We would do a quick Bible study and pray together. We would our time together each morning by putting on the armor of God, which is found in Ephesians 6:10-18. It didn't take long for me to memorize this passage, and I still remember it to this day. Have you ever read these verses?

     "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. "

     Have you ever thought of your relationship with God as a fight or a battle? Most soldiers wear some sort of armor when they go into battle so that they have protection when the enemy attacks. When we become children of God, we enter into a battle with God's enemy - Satan or the devil. Satan hates God and wants to us to hate God too. We must put on armor - God's armor - to protect ourselves and our relationship with Christ. I'll be talking about each piece of armor mentioned in the passage above in my next few letters, but today I just want you to know that I am praying for you and for your protection against the evil one. Would you also pray for my family and our protection?

Love, Jill ( and Kevin, Sydney and Kayleigh)

What to Write ~ Commandment 10

We've made it to the final letter of the 10 Commandment series. I hope you've enjoyed these and have found them useful. If you haven't used them, feel free to come back here anytime and modify these letters for your own sponsored children. You can find my other letters in this series by following the links below.

1. first letter (introduction)
2. second letter (first commandment - no other gods)
3. third letter (second commandment - no idols)
4. fourth letter (third commandment - don't misuse God's name)
5. fifth letter (fourth commandment - keep the Sabbath day holy)
6. sixth letter (fifth commandment - honor your father and mother)
7. seventh letter (sixth commandment - do not murder)
8. eighth letter (seventh commandment - do not commit adultery)
9. ninth letter (eighth commandment - do not steal)
10. tenth letter (ninth commandment - do not lie)

And here's the final commandment...

Dear....

How are you? I hope this letter finds you well and learning new things every day. I've been writing to you about the 10 Commandments and today I'm finally talking about the final and tenth Commandment.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." - Exodus 20:17

Let's dig into this and see what this means. First of all, the word covet means to desire or want in an envious way. God is telling us that it is a problem to want what other people have. It's not wrong to admire what other people have, but when we become envious or jealous of them for having something we don't or can't have, then we are sinning. It's wrong to want something so bad that you are no longer satisfied with what you have - when you'll do just about anything to get it or when you resent others for having something you don't have.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." - Hebrews 13:5

God wants us to be content and happy with what we have. He wants us to desire HIM over any other thing.

Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  - Colossians 3:1-2

Instead of thinking about material possessions, God wants us to set our minds on things above. If we are to set our minds on things above, then we probably need to figure out what that means. What do you think that means? Some people translate this to be things of heaven. If heaven is God's home, then it's full of his goodness, beauty, grace, love, peace, patience and many other good things. In heaven there will be no sorrow and no needs.

I think it boils down to this...JESUS is ENOUGH. If we have Jesus, we have everything. Without Jesus, we have nothing. I hope these letters about the 10 Commandments have been helpful to you. I know it was helpful for myself to write them. I enjoy studying God's word and sharing what I've learned with you. I'd love it you shared with me something about God or the Bible that you have learned recently.

What to Write ~ Commandment 9

I've been writing a series of letters to my kids based on the 10 Commandments. You can find my other letters in this series by following the links below.

1. first letter (introduction)
2. second letter (first commandment - no other gods)
3. third letter (second commandment - no idols)
4. fourth letter (third commandment - don't misuse God's name)
5. fifth letter (fourth commandment - keep the Sabbath day holy)
6. sixth letter (fifth commandment - honor your father and mother)
7. seventh letter (sixth commandment - do not murder)
8. eighth letter (seventh commandment - do not commit adultery)
9. ninth letter (eighth commandment - do not steal)

Dear.....

Greetings from Oregon! How are you doing? I hope this letter finds you well. We have changed seasons again here in our little corner of the world. Summer has come to an end, and Autumn has arrived. The temperatures have dropped, and our days and nights are cooler. The rains have returned, and all the leaves are falling off the trees. I think this is my favorite time of year.

Let's talk about the next commandment, shall we? This is the ninth out of ten - we are almost done! Exodus 20:16 says, "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." This is just another way of saying, you must not lie. We give "false testimony" by leaving something out of a story, telling a half-truth, twisting the facts or simply making up things that are not true. 

We find further instruction about lying in Ephesians 4:25 - "So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body."

Anytime we mislead or trick someone into believing something that is not true we are lying. We can even lie by the way we act. If you pretend you are happy when you are not, you are lying to those around you. 

In the Bible we see that Satan or the devil is the "father of lies". In John 8:44 it says, "For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies."

But in John 14:6 we see something entirely different - 'Jesus told him, "I am the the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."' JESUS IS THE TRUTH! 

If you have ever been lied to, you know how bad it feels. Sometimes telling the truth can be hard, but it's always the best way. God doesn't want us to get tangled up in a web of lies. He wants us to be like Jesus and Jesus is the truth. 

I hope this encourages you to tell the truth and thus keep this command. May God bless you. 

What to Write - Commandment 8

I've been writing a series of letters to my kids based on the 10 Commandments. You can find my other letters in this series by following the links below.

1. first letter (introduction)
2. second letter (first commandment - no other gods)
3. third letter (second commandment - no idols)
4. fourth letter (third commandment - don't misuse God's name)
5. fifth letter (fourth commandment - keep the Sabbath day holy)
6. sixth letter (fifth commandment - honor your father and mother)
7. seventh letter (sixth commandment - do not murder)
8. eighth letter (seventh commandment - do not commit adultery)

And now for the ninth letter discussing the eighth commandment...

Dear....

We are nearing the end of our 10 Commandments - only a few more to go. Today's letter is about the eighth commandment - "You shall not steal." 

What does it mean to steal? There are a couple different ways to define the word steal. The first, and most common, is to take something without permission and without the intent of returning it. Maybe you see a piece of candy lying around and no one is looking. Is it ok to take it and eat it without permission? According to this commandment, if you do not have permission then it's stealing and that is not permitted. Anytime you take a physical object that does not belong to you, without permission from the owner, it is stealing.

Another definition of stealing has to do with honesty. Perhaps you hear a wonderful idea and you try to pass it off as your own. If you don't give credit to the original source, then you are stealing the idea and being dishonest to those around you. It's much better to say to the person who had the idea, "What a wonderful idea! Do you mind if I use it as well?" If you don't have the opportunity to ask the person, another acceptable way to handle the situation is to be honest about where you got the idea to begin with. You could say something like, "My friend wrote a similar story and I loved the idea so much that I decided to try it myself."

One other definition of steal is to do something in secret - like "steal a kiss" when no one is looking or "steal a glance" at another student's test paper. You aren't taking anything from anyone or being dishonest, but you are doing something you don't want anyone else to see.

When we steal, we are not keeping the New Testament command to love our neighbor. It is not loving to take something (either a physical object or an idea) from someone else without their permission. In many cultures, there is a penalty for stealing - either a monetary fine or perhaps even time in jail. It's important to keep the law - both the civil law and God's law. Following God's commands takes discipline and a resolve to behave differently than those around us. It may be hard to resist temptation, but we need to remember that God doesn't give us these commands for the sake of ordering us around. He has given them to us out of love, because He truly does know what is best for us.

May God bless you as you continue to grow in your knowledge of Him. I pray these letters are helpful to you, and that you are better able to understand how much God loves you. I know they have been helpful for me, and that I have learned a lot from writing them. Until next time, be faithful.

What to Write ~ Commandment 7

I've been writing a series of letters to my kids based on the 10 Commandments. You can find my other letters in this series by following the links below.

1. first letter (introduction)
2. second letter (first commandment - no other gods)
3. third letter (second commandment - no idols)
4. fourth letter (third commandment - don't misuse God's name)
5. fifth letter (fourth commandment - keep the Sabbath day holy)
6. sixth letter (fifth commandment - honor your father and mother)
7. seventh letter (sixth commandment - do not murder)

And now for the eighth letter discussing the seventh commandment...

Dear.....

This is an exciting month and year for us. Twenty years ago (July 20, 1996), Kevin and I got married. I'll be honest with you - I was nervous about getting married. My parents had recently gotten divorced, and Kevin's parents were in the process of getting divorced, so I was hesitant to enter into such a big commitment.

You see, marriage is a big deal. It's a covenant between two people and God to share their lives and be faithful to one another in all circumstances. There are good times and bad times, ups and downs, joys and trials, but through it all we are to remain faithful to one another. This is what the seventh commandment addresses...."You shall not commit adultery." Exodus 20:14.

When a man and a woman get married, they join their two lives together and become one. When you make decisions you no longer think, "what is best for me?" but instead think, "what is best for US?" It's a partnership. You could also think of it as a team in which you have to work together to make it work.

Marriage is a promise between two people and God. We need to keep that promise daily and choose to love eachother. Remember when I said the first the first four commandments teach us how to love God with all our hearts and the other six teach us how to love others in the same way? This is a perfect example of how both go hand in hand. When we are married, we are commanded to love our spouse in the same way we love God - wholeheartedly and with complete faithfulness. It's what God has commanded of us and it's a way we can show our love and devotion to God.

I've been praying this prayer every day recently....
"O God, you have taught me to keep all your commandments by loving you and my neighbor: Grant me the grace of your Holy Spirit, that I may be devoted to you with my whole heart, and united to others with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord."

We love you and are praying for you.

What to Write ~ Commandment 6

I've been writing a series of letters to my kids based on the 10 Commandments. You can find my other letters in this series by following the links below.

1. first letter (introduction)
2. second letter (first commandment - no other gods)
3. third letter (second commandment - no idols)
4. fourth letter (third commandment - don't misuse God's name)
5. fifth letter (fourth commandment - keep the Sabbath day holy)
6. sixth letter (fifth commandment - honor your father and mother)

And now for the seventh letter discussing the sixth commandment...

Dear....

How are you? We are well. We've changed seasons here and are now in summer - our warmest season. This is also when our girls get a break from school studies. I'm enjoying my garden and love seeing everything grow. Right now we have a lot of raspberries, which is one of my favorite kinds of fruit. I also love the different creatures I find that visit the garden - bees, insects and frogs. Sometimes I can see hummingbirds and butterflies, but by the time I am ready to take their photo they have flown away. I will keep trying and if I manage to get a photo, I will send it to you.

I also wanted to tell you about something very exciting that happened in May. Sydney, our oldest daughter who is 11 years old, was baptized at our church. This brought our family so much joy - to see her publicly declare her decision to follow Jesus Christ and be immersed in the waters of baptism.

In my last several letters to you I've been talking about the 10 Commandments. Do you remember that the first four teach us to love God with all our hearts? And the rest of them show us how to love others with that same kind of love. In my last letter we talked about honoring our father and mother (or guardian). The sixth commandment is this...You shall not murder.  Exodus 20:13

It seems pretty obvious to me (and hopefully to you), that we are not to kill another person. Jesus expands on this idea in the Sermon on the Mount in the book of Matthew (5:21-22). In this passage he says,

You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment."

Jesus is teaching us that being righteous is more than just following laws. If we are filled with anger for people around us, we are sinning. It's true that we might be keeping the commandment not to murder or kill them, but we are sinning. Following the commandments is so much more than simply obeying a rule...it's about a complete change of heart. If we are to love others in the same way we love God, then we cannot be filled with anger towards them (and of course we won't murder them). Don't let your heart be filled with anger and hate towards others.

What to Write ~ Commandment 5

I've started a series of letters to my kids based on the 10 Commandments. You can find my other letters in this series by following the links below.

1. first letter (introduction)
2. second letter (first commandment - no other gods)
3. third letter (second commandment - no idols)
4. fourth letter (third commandment - don't misuse God's name)
5. fifth letter (fourth commandment - keep the Sabbath day holy)

And now for the sixth letter discussing the fifth commandment...

We’ve been learning about the 10 Commandments. Can you remember the first four?

1) Do not have any other gods – God wants us to recognize that He is the only true God who created all things.

2) Do not worship idols – God wants us to worship only Him.

3) Keep God’s name holy – God doesn’t want us to think, say or do anything that would dishonor his name.

4) Keep the Sabbath day holy – God wants us to set aside regular time for Him, to show others how important God is to us and to refresh our spirit.

The first four commandments teach us to love God with all our hearts. The remaining six teach us to love others with that same kind of love.

Here is the fifth commandment:  Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.  Exodus 20:12

We see this commandment repeated in the New Testament: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”  Ephesians 6:2-3

I think what this verse is saying is that when we respect and obey (honor) our parents or guardians, our lives will be much happier. What does it mean to honor someone? It means to treat them as precious and valuable, to prize them highly and to obey them. Our parents or guardians are gifts to us from God and most likely they have done their best to provide our basic needs for us.

Some very easy ways we can respect and honor our parents or guardians is by speaking kindly to them, helping them, praying for them and obeying them. I guess another word for honor is love. God wants us to love Him with all our hearts and one of the best ways to love God is to love others.

my mom and I

We just celebrated Mother’s Day in our country and my mom was able to travel to spend the weekend with me and my family. We live very far apart and don’t get to see each other often, so it was special to celebrate the day together. And next month we’ll celebrate Father’s Day. Both of these holidays are reminders for us to remember how special our parents are to us, but we really need to remember that every day. 

What to Write ~ Commandment 4

I've started a series of letters to my kids based on the 10 Commandments. You can find my other letters in this series by following the links below.

1. first letter (introduction)
2. second letter (first commandment - no other gods)
3. third letter (second commandment - no idols)
4. fourth letter (third commandment - don't misuse God's name)

And now for the fifth letter discussing the fourth commandment...

Dear ...

How are you? I hope this letter finds you and your family well. Yesterday was Sunday and we had such a nice day as a family. We spent the morning at church, then ate a meal with our friend, Alex, who is visiting our country from Uganda, Africa. I met him through Compassion because he used to be a sponsored child like you, but now he is earning his doctorate in theology (the highest level of education) and is a pastor of a church in Uganda. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around our city and taking in the beautiful spring weather we've been having. Although it was a full day, it was restful and different from other days in the week.



This brings me to our next commandment - the fourth commandment God gave Moses and the Israelites.

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor you animals, nor the alien within your gate. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

This is probably a tricky one for you to understand since you are still a child, but I think the general idea is that we need to set aside one day a week to rest from our normal work, and take delight in the things God has given us - our family, our surrounding environment, nourishment and more.

In the New Testament we read stories of Jesus healing people on the Sabbath, and the super religious people of the time didn't like it at all. They accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath commandment by doing work, but Jesus was healing people - helping them and loving them. In Mark 2:27 he saids, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." God wants to love us by giving us a day of rest and delight.

This is exactly what we did yesterday as a family. We spent the morning worshipping God with our church family, sharing a meal  with a friend, and enjoying each other by spending time together. We rested from our regular schedule of work and school, and enjoyed the gifts God has given us.

I'll include a picture of us with our friend, Alex, and another picture I took while we walked around our city yesterday. 



Much love to you and your family, 
Kevin, Jill, Sydney and Kayleigh Foley

What to Write ~ Commandment 3

I've started a series of letters to my kids based on the 10 Commandments. You can find my other letters in this series by following the links below.

1. first letter (introduction)
2. second letter (first commandment - no other gods)
3. third letter (second commandment - no idols)

And now for the fourth letter discussing the third commandment...

Dear ....,

How are you? We continue to usher in the new season of spring here and each day there is evidence of new life - leaves are budding on the trees, birds are singing in the branches and flowers are beginning to bloom. Where we live it rains a lot, so things grow very well and everywhere you look you can see green. It also means we have a lot of mud from all the rain!

In my past letters I've been talking about the 10 Commandments that God gave to Moses for the Israelites in the book of Exodus. Because this list of commands deal with moral laws, they still apply to us today, and as followers of Christ, we need to adhere to these commands. 

The third command says, "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misused his name."

God's name is holy and we must use it in a respectful way. I don't know what it is like in your country and culture, but here in the USA it is very common for people to take the Lord's name in vain. I am so grateful my parents taught me to honor and respect God's name when I was a child. To me this means that I do not throw around the name of God casually. The Bible warns us many times that the tongue is powerful and what we say matters. 

In Matthew Jesus himself teaches us how to pray and begins his prayer with ,"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name." God is our Father - our creator - and He lives in heaven - his name is holy.

I want to encourage you to only speak the name of God with reverence, awe, love and respect. Consider who you are talking to and about when you speak the name of God. Also, think of how it would make you feel if your family and friends misused your name - making it a joke or mockery. God feels no less when His name is misspoken and misused. 

If you do make a mistake and misuse the name of the Lord, repent and ask His forgiveness. He is a gracious God.

What to Write ~ Commandment 2

I've started a series of letters to my kids based on the 10 Commandments. My first letter was an introductory letters, encouraging them to memorize the 10 Commandments. My second letter focused on the first commandment, and this is the third letter which talks about the second commandment.


How are you? We are well. We've had some beautiful weather lately and some of the spring flowers are starting to bloom.

Today I want to write to you about the second command from the 10 commandments. Do you remember the first one? Number 1 was "you shall have no other gods before me". Number 2 is "you shall not make for yourself and idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."

Do you know what an idol or graven image is? An idol is a symbol of an object of worship or a false god. It can also be an image of a deity other than God. There are all sorts of religions that have idols and it's common for people to worship these idols. However, God makes it very clear that we as Christians are NOT to do this. As the verse says, we cannot make idols of anything in heaven, anything on earth or anything in the waters - in other words, we cannot make any idols of any kind.

There is an account in Exodus of the Israelites making a golden calf and worshipping it. God was so angry that he struck them with a plague because of what they had done. He is a jealous God and wants our full attention and devotion. We are only to worship Him - nothing else.

Our God is a living God and He can heal us, love us, protect us, forgive us and fill our hearts with joy. And idol or false god is just a thing. An idol can't offer us protection, healing, love or forgiveness.

cross 1

I love seeing the image of a cross because it reminds me of Christ's sacrifice on my behalf. It is a visual reminder that Christ died for me and because of that my sins are forgiven. However, I don't bow down or pray to a cross - that would be idolatry. When I see a cross, I thank God for who He is and what He has done.

I hope this helps you understand the second command a little bit better. Are you still telling God every morning that you choose to love Him more than anyone or anything? I would love to hear your thoughts about this.

May God bless you and keep you - may his face shine upon you - may you know and experience his love today.

Love, the Foley family



I took the photo with my iphone and edited it on pizap. If you want to use it to send to your own kids, let me know and I'll email it to you. I five different edits, so let me know specifically which one you want.

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What to Write ~ Commandment 1

Last month I introduced this new series that I'll be using for my monthly letters to our Compassion children. The first letter was an introduction to the Ten Commandments, and this letter focuses on the first commandment.

How are you? We are well. We have celebrated Christmas and the New Year and are looking forward to all God has for us in 2016. 

In my last letter I introduced the 10 commandments to you. These are the commands God gave to Moses, for the Israelites to follow. Even now, all of God's followers (people like you and me) should follow these commands.  

Let's take a closer look at the first one..."Thou shalt have no other gods before me" 
Do you know what that means? It means that we need to love God more than we love anyone or anything else. If you love someone a lot, you will probably want to spend time with them, talk to them, play with them, tell them you love them, get to know them well and more. Or if there is a certain activity you like doing a lot, you will want to spend a lot of time doing that activity.  

But God wants to be first in our lives - above everyone and everything else. How can we do this if we can't physically see God every day? We can still spend time with Him and get to know Him by reading the Bible. The Bible is full of stories that tell us who God is. We can also talk to him through prayer. I don't think prayer has to be a formal time that we set aside each day. It can be, but we can also communicate with God all day long in everything we are doing, just like we would talk to a friend who was right there with us. We can also show our love to God by loving other people and helping those around us. We can't exactly hug God, but we can hug someone who is sad, and by loving that person, we are loving God.  

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Our God is a living God...the only God with power. In I Kings 18 you can read the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal (a false god). Elijah and the prophets both prepared a bull for sacrifice, but they were not allowed to light the fire themselves. The prophets of Baal called on their god, Baal, to send fire but nothing happened. When Elijah called on his God - the God of Israel, the same God you and I serve - the fire of the Lord fell from heaven and burnt up the sacrifice! 

This week, this month, I challenge you to wake up each day and say to the Lord, "I choose to love you more than anyone or anything today." I'll be saying it too.  

Love, the Foley family

I took the photo with my iphone and edited it on pizap. If you want to use it to send to your own kids, let me know and I'll email it to you. I actually have three different edits, so let me know specifically which one you want.

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What to Write ~ Valentine's

For some reason I don't seem to mind writing Christmas cards in September / October, but I can't wrap my mind around doing Valentine's during December. Maybe it's because I'm in the midst of a BIG holiday. So  technically I'm running behind on getting these out, but I figure a message of love is always appropriate.

Like last year, I used supplies I had on hand and kept these very simple.

we cut hearts out of music paper and wrote very simple messages inside each card

we also included a sheet of stickers for each child

Here are links to other Valentine's letters I've written if you want more ideas:

• Valentines / Love
• Love (Fruit of the Spirit series)
• Scatter Love

I'll also be sending my next letter in my new "10 Commandment Series" - focusing on the first commandment. I'll share that here next Friday. In the meantime, take a moment to send a quick message of love to your sponsored child.

What to Write ~ The 10 Commandments

I've started a new series or theme for my letters to my sponsored and correspondent kids. Like my Fruit of the Spirit series, my first letter introduces the overall theme of the 10 Commandments and each letter following will focus on an individual commandment.

Greetings from Oregon! I sure hope this letter finds you well.

Do you like to follow rules? Do you have rules at school or at the Compassion center that you are supposed to observe and obey? Do your parents give you rules to follow at home? I know some people think rules are restrictive – that they are meant to keep us from doing the things we want to do. But I think rules are actually good and give us freedom to live a better way.

God has given us rules in the Bible about how we should live. The most famous list of rules is called the 10 Commandments and I bet you are at least a little bit familiar with them. Moses went up on Mt. Sinai and met with God. It was here that God gave Moses the 10 Commandments for the Israelites. 

These 10 commandments or rules were set by God for the people to follow. Because God loves us and knows what is best for us, He has given us rules to follow so that our lives will be pleasing to Him.

Even though these rules were originally given to the Israelites, they are still applicable to all who love and follow God – people like you and me.  I think it’s important to understand what these commands mean and I’ll be looking at each commandment individually in my upcoming letters. For today I’d like to introduce all 10 commandments and encourage you to memorize this list. You can read the original story in Exodus 20.

The 10 Commandments

1        Love God more than you love anything else.

2        Don’t make anything in your life more important than God.

3        Always say God’s name with love and respect.

4        Honor God by resting on the seventh day of the week.

5        Love and respect your parents.

6        Don’t hurt anyone.

7        Always be faithful to your husband or wife.

8        Don’t take anything that isn’t yours.

9        Always tell the truth.

10      Be content with what you have – don’t wish for other people’s stuff.

I’m praying for you and your family. I pray that you can truly learn to love God with all your heart, soul and mind and follow His commands. I pray that as you follow these rules, you will find freedom in living your life in a way that honors God.                                      

May God bless and keep you, 

What to Write ~ Happy New Year

A couple years ago I created and sent calendars to all my sponsored kids. As I've been going through all the letters some of my kids have sent me, I've noticed that they all mention how much they loved the calendar. So...that was my inspiration to send another one this year.

Last time, I added their photo to the calendar, but this year I just found a colorful template and added their name to the bottom. You can see my last calendar HERE, and this year's version below.

I also highlighted each child's birthday on their calendar and told them so in the letter. The letter was a simple greeting with quite a few photos of our activities and surroundings from the past few months.

What did you write about this month?

What to Write - Christmas (and the 5 senses)

For this month's lettesr, I chose to use the online letter writing tool. I don't use it often, but when I do I'm reminded how many fun templates they have, and how easy it is to attach photos.

I've already sent my Christmas cards, but wanted to write a Christmas letter as well. I had no idea what I was going to write about, but when I sat down and started writing, I was inspired to write about the 5 senses (inspired a homeschool lesson earlier this week).

Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year. In my country, Christmas is by far the most celebrated holiday. It seems that we find ways to treat all five of our senses in the days leading up to Christmas. For the sense of hearing, we have Christmas carols and songs. We hear these everywhere we go - on the radio, in stores, in church and in our homes. For the sense of taste we have foods that are associated with Christmas like the candy cane or sugar cookies. And then there is the sense of sight...it seems like everything gets decorated in special ways so our eyes can feast on the beauty of Christmas. We put trees inside our homes, and hang lights and ornaments on them. We decorate the outside of our homes with lights, and it's so pretty once it gets dark outside and the lights are shining. As far as the sense of smell, there are definitely smells associated with Christmas here. The trees we bring in our homes are pine trees and they have a very distinct smell. And finally there is the sense of touch...in some parts of our country it gets very cold and snows. Because it's cooler outside, we find ways to warm ourselves inside with warm drinks, fluffy, cozy blankets and sweaters - all appealing to our sense of touch.  

I think God gave us five different senses so we can more fully experience things...even Him. Did you know that God is called Emmanuel? And did you know that Emmanuel means "God with us"? Christmas is more than the birthday of Jesus - it's an annual celebration to remind us that God sent his son Jesus to live on earth with us. And even though He is no longer physically here on earth with us, He is still with us - in everything we do and experience.  

Here are some Bible verses I found about our five senses...
"Taste and see that the Lord is good" - Psalm 34:8"Ears that hear and eyes that see, the Lord has made them both." Proverbs 20:12"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word of life." - 1 John: 1"through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him...For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being save and those who are perishing." 2 Corinthians 2:15 

This Christmas I urge you to notice God through your five senses - and thank Him for allowing you to experience things to see, smell, touch, hear and taste. Merry Christmas dear one. May God - Emmanuel - truly be with you and your family this Christmas. 

Love, the Foley family 

(I cropped this so only the lower, right part of the house was showing)

What to Write ~ Back to School: Wisdom

It's the second Friday of September - I can hardly believe that  - and it's time for writing monthly letters. The big news in our house is that we are officially back to school, and that's the subject of this letter. I did a back to school letter last year and you can find that HERE.

This year, I'm taking a different approach.

 Dear .....

Our summer break has come to an end and the girls have started back to school. This year Kayleigh is in grade 4 and Sydney is in grade 5. We are homeschooling again this year. This means we do our school work at home, and I (Jill) am the teacher. 

On the first day of school we talked a bit about what the Bible has to say about education and knowledge. Over and over in the Bible we read about the value of wisdom. 

What is wisdom? Wisdom is the quality of having experience, knowledge and good insight...it's being able to act with common sense. 

How do we get wisdom? Well, some of it will come with age and experience. The older you get, the wiser you will become (hopefully). You will be able to rely on past experience and what you have learned from your teachers to act appropriately. 

But we can also ask God for wisdom. In the book of James it says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5)

Why is wisdom important? Because it makes us stand out from those who do not follow or obey God. In the book of Daniel it says, "Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever" (Daniel 12:3).

One of the best places to learn about wisdom and how godly wisdom is necessary for our lives is to read the book of Proverbs. There are 31 chapters in this book - and most of our months have 30 or 31 days - it seems reasonable to try to read or listen to one chapter each day. I've read these over and over for many years and I always find new insights each time I read them.

Wisdom is a gift God will give to us, and we can use it to glorify Him...to point others to Him and his truth.

Will you pray for us as we begin our school year and set out to learn new things? Most importantly, will you pray that we seek God and his wisdom for our lives? We'll be praying the same for you.

What to Write: God Sightings

Several weeks ago Kayla shared some letter writing ideas on her blog and I loved the topic of "God sightings" - so that's my topic for this month.

I truly believe that we can see God in just about everything (except evil, of course) if we try.

Greetings from sunny, warm Oregon! We are in the middle of summer and it’s been a hot and dry one.

I love summer because of all the flowers that bloom in my garden and all the birds and butterflies that visit my backyard. Almost every day I see God through nature and it’s so comforting to me. Sometimes I grab my camera and try to capture the beauty in a photograph and other times I just stand still and watch intently to take it all in. 

One example that happened recently was when I didn’t have a very good day. Nothing about my day seemed to be going right and I really just wanted to go to bed and get the day behind me. As I was closing the window I looked out and noticed the sun was setting and lighting up the sky in the most beautiful, colorful way. I went outside and just enjoyed it, thanking God for the beauty He was filling the sky with.

A couple weeks ago we were in the mountains and there tend to be a lot of elk in the mountains. We looked and looked to see if we’d see any but didn’t. As we were driving back into town, I looked out the car window into a field and there were 7 male elk standing in the field. It was amazing that they were so close to us.

Sometimes the God sightings come in forms of smiles or hugs, and the best is when they are unexpected. This past Sunday I walked into church and another lady whom I don’t know very well had a huge smile and big hug for me. I felt loved and appreciated and it was just what I needed.

My challenge to you is to notice God in your surroundings and in the actions of others around you. And perhaps allow yourself to be a God sighting in someone else’s life. Give your friend a big smile or hug. Speak kindly to your family members and tell them you love them.

And when you experience your own God sighting, remember to thank God for it! I’d love it if you wrote back and gave me some examples of how you saw God around you. Here are some pictures of my recent God sightings. 

We love you and are praying for you – the Foley family

Have you written to your sponsored children lately? If so, what did you write about?