August 2015 Dinner Topics Newsletter: Faith and Works
Dear Friends,
Welcome to Epicworld Dinner Topics!
MY MOTHER USED TO SAY, “You don’t have to look far to see someone who is worse off than you are.” What does that have to do with this month’s theme, Faith and Works? Sometimes the best way to keep on in the faith is to lose ourselves in the work.
There are several kinds of work, and all good work builds and ennobles the spirit.
First, the kind of work that Adam was blessed with—the work of sowing and harvest that keeps the world going, industry, economy—the kind of work that more than 90 million Americans wish they had.
Second, creative work, which is a process, not an event. Creativity involves a wide range of work, from cultural arts to web design, but not to exclude the multitude of talents in between, such as building character, keeping families strong and happy, educating, inventions, technical support—the ways to be creative are infinite.
Third, team work. Faith, love, service, and steadfastness are the role of the wise team leader who understands that the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.
Fourth, the labor of love—like this blog, which is a labor of love for me. Do I get paid for it? No, but I love doing it. I hope your life is culturally and spiritually richer for it.
All of these good works are part of the Lord’s great labor of love, which is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children. Because of love, God sent His Only Begotten Son to provide our way to our heavenly home. It was love that 
empowered the Savior to complete the infinite sacrifice that would atone for all our failings, saving us by grace, because we can never do enough to save ourselves.
Faith, prayer, and repentance are a kind of work, too. We are admonished to “bring forth works of repentance.” Prayer is a kind of work, a means for obtaining the highest of blessings. And faith is a monumental work—the kind of work required to keep going despite great obstacles, to trust in God when all around you are doubting, to stand for what is right, even if you stand alone. But the more we exercise faith, the stronger it becomes.
Highlights
Bible Story: Parable of the Sower
History: Correcting Governor Christie’s mistaken perception about compromise and the Founding Fathers
Watch for the posts that will answer these questions: Which political party was founded to abolish slavery? Which political party fought a war to perpetuate slavery? The answers may surprise you.
Heroes of History who made a difference: Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat responsible for saving thousands of Jews from the Holocaust, gave his life in so doing, and was awarded high honors from U.S. and Israel.
William Wilburforce worked tirelessly for decades, finally ending slavery in England by legislation instead of war.
Dinner Talk Topics: Four articles on work, with corresponding round table discussion questions.
Thanks for visiting. Come often; Stay Late.
Don’t give up; Let’s keep working for Liberty,
Christine Davidson
NOTE: The Tea Party is doing all it can in a political sense. However, to be realistic, at the end of the day, America will not be saved in Washington D.C. The sad truth is that politicians on both sides of the aisle are betraying real Traditional Values.
We will also be tracking the work of Heritage Foundation, which is highly effective, not only in informing Americans, but also in educating members of Congress, as well as influencing them to put principle above self-serving politics. Please scroll down to see Alert! ACTION UPDATES after the featured topics.
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Theme Quotes for August: Faith and Works
Live so that those who know you who don’t know Christ will want to know Christ because they know you. ~Anon.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. ~Matthew 5:16
“Forget yourself and go to work.”
“When you are in the service of your fellow beings you are in the service of your God.” (Mosiah 2:17) “Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
We become more substantive as we serve others—indeed, it is easier to “find” ourselves because there is so much more of us to find! ~Spencer W. Kimball
Faith precedes the miracle. ~ Spencer W. Kimball
Shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? ~Isaiah 29:16
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever. ~ Isaiah 32:17
In every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. ~Acts 10:35
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. ~Romans 8:28
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. ~1Corinthians 15:58
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work. ~Exodus 20:9-10
Let us all press on in the work of the Lord, that when life is o’er we may gain a reward.
~ Evan Stephens
Stress Relief Tip of the Month: Service
Someone once said to a great missionary who was homesick: “Forget yourself and go to work.” Sometimes the best way to forget our own troubles is to serve others. “When you are in the service of your fellow beings you are in the service of your God.” (Mosiah 2:17) “Whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 16:25) We become more substantive as we serve others—indeed, it is easier to “find” ourselves because there is so much more of us to find! ~Spencer W. Kimball
Classical Music this month will be provided by: Enesco and Debussy
August Preview
The Dinner Topic Theme for August: Faith and Works
Defining Moments
“Defining Moments” is a monthly feature. Kind of a fancy name for a glossary. When I was growing up, we had a huge dictionary on a tall, narrow, rolling table. Whenever we asked the meaning of a word, we were told to “look it up.” We still do that. You’d be surprised at some of the interesting things you find in the dictionary, especially the 1828 American Dictionary. Now, with all the twists and spins that politicians and the media do to common words, it’s valuable to go back to the original meaning. It can make for interesting conversation, too.
This month: Capitalism
See more Defining Moments
Featured Topics
The Parenting Value for this month: Courage
Famous Birthdays: Raoul Wallenberg, Georges Enesco, Jedediah Morse, Claude Debussy, John Locke
Bible Stories: Parable of the Sower
Culture Wars: De-Fund Planned Parenthood
Multiculturalism and Moral Relativism
An amusing anecdote illustrating the farce of the Greek bailout
Faith: Church and State
Be Genuine, Avoid Hypocrisy
History: The truth about compromise and the Founding Fathers
Which political party was founded to abolish slavery? Which political party fought a war to keep slavery?
Literature: Work: Adam’s Blessing
Creative Work—A Process, Not an Event
Team Work
Labor of Love
Truth Zone: The real Unemployment figures
The real economy
The truth about the outrageously extravagant pensions enjoyed by government officials, for the rest of their lives
Moral Repair Plan—always looking for reasons for optimism:
In these days when Truth is endangered by political expediency, it is important that we learn to discern Truth from Error, fraud, or downright deception. Now, a new category: Truth Zone
And as always—current events, updates, and analysis
Alert! Action Updates
Tea Party News: Keep GOP Primary a Fair Vote
Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation Plan of Action: Defend Family, First Amendment Freedoms
Moral Support: Plan of Action to defend First Amendment Freedoms
Truth Zone:
Fact Check vs. Media Blackout: Obama Iran Deal, Illegal Alien Crime, Trump and McCain
Parents’ Resources
New Categories! Bible Story, Critical Thinking, Culture Wars, Gospel Teachings, and Truth Zone. It is hoped that with these more specific categories, it will be easier for you to access our vast and growing archives of valuable information.
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Ongoing
1. Seeing the widespread injury done in any given week, (many incidents go unreported), stay aware of important news and insights at Epicworld Dinner Topics.
Traditional Bible-believing parents may have to consider withdrawing their children from public schools to protect your family spiritually and financially from the rising tide of persecution and ruinous lawsuits by anti-Christian fascists.
If it is not possible for you to home school, try to teach your children Judeo-Christian values at home. The easiest way to do this is to tell stories and discuss principles at the family dinner table. I hope these dinner topics help you with this vital effort. Just don’t give up! Our precious children are worth fighting for.
- Study the U.S. Constitution! It is the last remaining safeguard of our precious freedoms! A good way to do this is to study the monthly Constitution series from The 5,000 Year Leap. To access this series of posts, type US Constitution Series in this site’s search bar.
Thanks for all you do,
C.A. Davidson
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