Silk saris…bouquet of flowers…a shared meal…

 Silk saris, flower bouquets, a meal…

*a friend’s knitting project…

*fresh flowers…

*clothing poor women in India…

*shredded silk saris…

*a meal with friends…

*a sermon on care for others, including widows…

These topics may not look like they connect, but they do, in my mind, having happened all in one weekend to emphasize a point and a ministry…

First, I commented on a friend’s beautiful knitting project she is working on, having  shared it on Facebook…I known her most of her life, her parents, grandparents…in ministry and out…one of her grandmothers taught on of the first women’s Bible study I ever attended.. 

Second, another friend brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers…giving to and encouraging others …thank you…

Third and fourth, I was sorting and downsizing my work/craft closet and came upon some leftover yarn made of shredded Indian saris.This beautiful silk yarn, I was told at the time I bought it, was made from cast off saris of widows in India…an acquaintance used to collect funds before going to India each year to buy new saris for the very poor widows she worked with. (There was the potential that they could then sell their used saris for yarn-learned from another source)

I am sending my sari yarn to the friend who is knitting.

Fifth, A meal of Mediterranean spices and a new recipe was shared with me, a widow.

Sixth, a sermon on caring…I love the story of Dorcas in the Bible, her servant’s heart, her caring for others…her life well lived…giving…supplying clothing for the poor…the love she gave out comes back in full measure…abundance, pressed down and pouring over…the example for us today…we all can give in the ways God calls us…quietly or upfront…with drum rolls or in secret…generosity played out…thank you…

Thank YOU for pulling the weekend together with a theme, a lesson…it is amazing to see Your “fingerprints “ in our thoughts, events…

 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 

Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!” 

Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. 

All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. 

Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. 

Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” 

She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. 

Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 

This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.

Acts.9.36-42

I like that last line…”many believed”…I hope that people believed not only from the healing Peter did, but from the good works that 

Dorcas preformed as well…her care for them…her love…

 

 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke.6.38

 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.

1Tim.5:3-12, 16

Thank You for giving to the Lord…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFrdJ2V3r7Y

https://www.darngoodyarn.com/blogs/darn-good-blog/the-story-behind-sari-silk-ribbon

https://www.inspirajournals.com/uploads/Issues/1307881203.pdf

The gift of rest/sleep…

 The gift of rest/sleep….

Sleeping/resting in a sleeper train car over 50 years ago was a bit difficult…we were returning from Montreal, riding the Canadian National Railroad… had been attending a Geological Conference…I was pregnant, tired and ready to get home…

The trip was beautiful, the scenery sliding by at a rapid pace…going from cities, rural, “outback”, prairies, forests, lakes, mountains and finally arriving in .Vancouver, BC…

My parents in law were on the other side of a thin partition dividing the room by night…my father in law had a very deep, very penetrating loud voice-no whispering…so when he talked, you heard…consequently, no sleep even with ear plugs…both my husband and I were exhausted when we finally arrived  home…

Sleep…that sometimes elusive part of life…for me…having been raised in the country as an only child, I needed and still need quiet to go to sleep…my husband, the youngest of a family of boys, could sleep anywhere, anytime…we learned each other’s needs quickly after marriage…one of the growing times…

Lately, sleep has been a bit elusive…and was thinking about 

Bible times and characters, the topic of sleep in the Word…

God rested, not that He needed it, but as an example that what he created needed it…those days after a week of work, winter time gives rest before the abundance of spring…it is a healthy thing to do…

God provides sleep, rest, sustaining, refreshment…

Jesus needed rest after arduously helping and healing the crowds…even in the storm…

  We do need rest…and Thank YOU …

 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

 Gen.2.2-3

 I lie down and sleep;I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

Ps.3.5

 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.     He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters,     he refreshes my soul.He guides me along the right pathsfor his name’s sake.

Ps.23.1-3

 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

 Jer.31.25-26

 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

 Matt.8:20

 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.

Matt.8.24

 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.

Matt.26.43-45

https://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/benefits-of-sleep

Reside, Rest…Ben Potter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FArhuOLHDo

Relaxing in Worship…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XjU_oynw3w

Control …

  Control….

Lately, for the past few months, I feel like I have been ruled by pain…I realize that God is really the real controller of all, so He is allowing the pain to rule…it is in charge of the amount of sleep I get, the trips I take, whether I am up to church/Sunday School/Bible study, family time, whether I have to lay down or sit, or stand, what time I can go to grocery store or anywhere, what I make for meals with amount of energy I have, writing a blog at 2 am or noon or not, how many phone calls I have strength for, etc…exercise has been cut out, walking a thing of the past(I hope I can revisit soon)…a huge change in life for me…I was even proud that I could maintain all the above with an “no-Problem attitude”… but, 

pride goes before a fall…”.  …and it hit big time…

So, what we really need is to be controlled by the Spirit of the Living God”…not by pain, pride or whatever seems to take control…

Leaving the days in His hands… no matter age, ability …Flexibility to His plans …He is always working to our good…

Thank YOU…

 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have die."

2Cor.5.1

 I charge you in the sight of God….This will be, in his own time, the final denouement of God, who is the blessed controller of all things, the king over all kings and the master of all masters, the only source of immortality, the one who lives in unapproachable light, the one whom no mortal eye has ever seen or ever can see. To him be acknowledged all honour and power for ever, amen!

1Tim.6.13-16, Phillips…

 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Titus.2.11-13

This beaver, has a plan and he will not be thwarted from it…build a dam,with whatever resources he has…

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02jQPTv7ZeHWmvq3CKnqxf65vdQVdT47t7nr4GWzuuonSPJGsTHLxtqGwnfdP3fj6nl&id=100069116623699

Praise You in this storm…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWGf4a4ngM8

John 8…words…

 John 8…words…

Reading John 8, I couldn’t help but see Isaiah 55 as well…once again Jesus is in the Old Testament as well as the New…the eternal Word reaches into past, present and future…the infinite…the ever present…He is same yesterday, today and tomorrow…He isn’t just a history book…He is…

Thank YOU….

 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 

The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 

Why do you not understand what I say? 

It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 

Whoever is of God hears the words of God. 

The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

John.8.23,John.8.31,John.8.32,John.8.34,John.8.35,John.8.36,John.8.43,John.8.47,John.8.51

 “Come, everyone who thirsts,come to the waters;and he who has no money,come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,and your labor for that which does not satisfy?

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,and delight yourselves in rich food. 

Incline your ear, and come to me;

hear, that your soul may live;and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,my steadfast, sure love for David. 

Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,a leader and commander for the peoples. 

Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,for he has glorified you. 

“Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call upon him while he is near; 

let the wicked forsake his way,and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth,making it bring forth and sprout,giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing,and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;and it shall make a name for the Lord,an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Isa.55.1-13

He is…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7Btc3g0UaU

“No one ever spoke like this man….”

 “No one ever spoke like this man…”

John 7:1-52 speaks of Jesus’ visit and participation in the annual celebration of the Festival of the Tabernacles…

This was/is celebrated in the fall to commemorate 40 years in the wilderness, by the building of three walled “booths” which people slept and /or are in for 7 days…also it was associated with fall rains which are needed for the spring crops…it was also the end of

Grape season…

So deliverance

water-   All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Exod.17.1-6

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified .John.7.37-39

wine…

Exodus 23:16

16 "Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. "Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.

“The good wine”…

The passage has so many back and forth exchanges between the Pharisees and Jesus while He was teaching…with even the the temple guards saying, “ The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!”

John.7.46

 

I appreciated this comment…the teachers were trying so hard to trip up Jesus and he would not be distracted…he told it like it was… and here were these guards taking it all in…their hearts and minds were open…

Later like Paul’s guards later on…some of whom were converted to 

Christianity…these temple guards stood on the sideline, ease dropping, and heard Jesus speak…and were touched…(makes one wonder if we will see them in Heaven)…Were they thirsty for that living water that Jesus Promised?

thank YOU …all can come to YOU…

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/what-is-the-feast-of-tabernacles-bible-story-and-christian-meaning.html

https://www.learnreligions.com/feast-of-tabernacles-700181

Loving water…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlnAREAjTfU

Transfiguration…

  

Transfiguration….

Best friends are gathered for last minute fittings, the bride calls them to her, gathering for last minute preparations…

Then the day comes…the music starts, the wedding party takes their places….the groom stands, nervous, fidgets, lick his lips, clears his throat, pastes on a smile…the processional starts, the congregation stands,  the bride comes into view, radiant in white, beauty eclipsing all of those around…the groom’s eyes are only on his bride…a smile, wide and welcoming covers his face, awe settles over them both…this is the wedding they have been preparing for…these moments of pure joy and reverence…announcing to the world their love and marriage…

“Transfiguration Sunday celebrates the glorious revelation of God in Jesus Christ and Christ’s manifestation as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Jesus’ radiant appearance on the mountaintop evokes the devouring fire of the glory of the LORD at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24.17).”

I realize that the marriage ceremony and the transfiguration are not the same, but, I couldn’t get the pictures out of my mind…(the marriage ceremony of the Lamb comes later in the Word…)..the bride dressed in white, sparkling with love is transformed, while the groom is thinking…” this is my bride whom I love”…Jesus transfigured, his clothing becoming white as light…God saying,”this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”…both before their closest friends…a declaration for all to see…

Jesus declares himself to us every time we open the Word…maybe not with brightness and light, but the brightness of the Truth….and we are transformed by that truth…

Thank YOU….

 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 

And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 

And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 

He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 

When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Matt.17.1-8

Mark 9:2-8

 Luke 9:29-36

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfiguration_of_Jesus

 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

2Pet.1.16-18

Shine Jesus Shine…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTIGVIcHsFE

I stand amazed…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue8ZCAc9xQ8

https://stmarksolathe.org/sermons/sunday-february-19-2023transfiguration-of-our-lord/

Fractured…

 Fractured…

 

 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.

Luke.9.46

 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

Luke.22:24-27

I hurt my back last June, about 9 months ago…since then I have been through all kinds of tests, PT, shots, pain killers, etc…it has changed my life in how I sit, sleep or not, stand or not, , walk, lay, travel or not, interact with people, and has only gotten worse. This past week after two more MRIs and more X-rays, I finally got a diagnosis. I have a fractured hip which needs replacing…

I don’t say this for any sympathy, but, just reading  these few verses on arguments, disputes reminded me of fractures…we endure fractures in relationships over many things…here are the disciples, being mentored by Jesus, the perfect teacher, and yet, in their humanness they get into a very human dispute…comparisons…this could break their relationships with one another, hurt others to the point of not being mended. But,  Jesus has an answer…or lesson for them to learn through their disputes…He takes their everyday life and uses it to teach in a teachable moment…

Through the Word, and applying it to life… we have those same moments…fractures, pictures, everyday situations…if we are listening, we have those teachable moments as well…God through the Holy Spirit is teaching us… counseling us, convicting us…

Thank YOU…

 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John.14.26

 Teach me your way, O Lord,that I may walk in your truth;unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me;you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Ps.86.11-13

Teach me Your way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpTm4cR6CDc

Decisions, decisions…

 Decisions, decisions….

We all, the world over, get the choice to choose who Jesus is in our lives, in some fashion and what we will do with that decision…will we become Jesus followers, or is he just a good man or prophet…a good teacher…

From the Word, we read that He loved us before we loved him, that he came to die that we might live, …but not everyone agrees…some have hardened hearts toward his teachings…

I am no theologian so I don’t understand all the ins and outs of the choices, I just know at some point we need to decide what we will do with Jesus…

And in these passages, Jesus asks his disciples…but as we read them…He is asking us as well. What will we do with Jesus??? What will our decision be?

 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

John.6.66-69

 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Matt.16.13-17

 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”

Mark.8.27-29

 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

Luke.9.18-20

Thank YOU….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G8b_QiXz4c

Works….

 Works….

 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

John.6.28-29

Our pastor recently gave a sermon on legalism…it was sooo good..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifpc4pxJWdQ

 I had to share it…especially when I came to the above passages this morning…

We list-makers are so prone to wanting a list of things we need to follow…rules to do something right or whatever…from this  question that the people asked Jesus, we humans really haven’t changed much over the ages…a check off list….do this, check…do that, check, until we complete a task…

God wants our hearts, our faith…not report card of our accomplishments…not our performances of good deeds or sacrifices…not our to-do lists…nor our manmade rules and regulations….

Thank YOU….

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Eph.2.8-10

 And the Lord said:“Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips,while their hearts are far from me,and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

Isa.29.13

In Christ Alone…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1QjKqyGh8s

My hero walks on water…

 My hero walks on water….

A few years ago, I had the awesome opportunity to go to Colombia, South America to distribute operation Christmas child boxes to children in northern Colombia…we went to several villages giving them out…

We also visited a flamingo refuge…it was a playa lake which dries up part of the year and is a lake about 12-18 inches deep the rest of the year. We rode in flat bottom boats to the spot where we could view the flocks of flamingos from afar.

Our “captain “ poled us around or got out and pushed the boat . From a distance, the various “captains” looked like they were walking on the water, as it was so shallow…

The flamingos looked like the were walking on water as well…

Matthew 14, Mark 6 and John 6 all relate the story of Jesus walking on the water hours after feeding the 5 thousand…

His disciples had left the shore heading to another area…

These guys had just witnessed Jesus feeding five thousand with the lunch of a boy, now they were witnessing his walk on the water…fear, dismay, faith, doubt,and worship all rolled into the water-walking incident…

I know there are those same emotions in my life at various times…fear of so many things…dismay at the events…faith to do, to be….doubt at times, when I am not trusting and worship when God  has done great things or even done small things…that only He could orchestrate….

I am so glad that God has written about real people who went through real life emotions…they are so relatable…emotions we still go through coming to the real conclusions…”truly you are the Son  of God”…

Thank YOU….

 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 

And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. 

When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 

And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 

But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 

He said, “Come.” 

So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 

And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”Matt.14.22-33

My hero walks on water….a bit different from my usual style…a Christian rap song…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgMTGFrA05o

Flamingos 

https://rove.me/to/colombia/flamingo-watching





The gift of a child…

 The gift of a child…

 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 

And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 

Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 

Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 

Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 

He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 

Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. 

So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 

Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 

And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 

So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

John.6.1-14

The third season finale of “The Chosen” was this last week…they portrayed the feeding of the five thousand as part of this production…

But reading this passage also brought to mind a later teaching...

“ At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matt.18.1-6

 

This boy,in the feeding of the five thousand, brought his lunch along…probably fixed by his mother, knowing the boys are always hungry…he willingly handed it over, being a generous and thoughtful to others…trying to be helpful, gave it to Jesus…did his faith in Jesus exceed those around him?…

I can just picture Jesus looking at him, maybe patting him on the head, looking at his humble gesture, smiling…thanking him for these fish and barley loaves…maybe asking him to stand by his side, while Jesus gave thanks for this meager meal…and then watching Jesus make those loaves and fish multiply into enough for feed 5,000…and leftovers to fill 12 baskets after the people had their fill…did the boy run home with some leftovers, excitedly telling of his adventure…amazed at this man, Jesus…pondering in his heart all he had heard and seen and been apart of…the teachings, the words that flowed from Jesus accompanied by the miracles he saw and was part of…what happened to him as he grew and pondered this later in life? Did he become a follower?

Did his testimony effect his family and friends?

How does the Word effect us as we ponder the Truth?

Thank YOU…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyXP-kQfooU

 Even a child makes himself known by his acts,by whether his conduct is pure and upright.

Prov.20.11

 

Jesus takes our broken pieces and makes His light shine through…..

 He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds.

Ps.147.3

 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John.8.12

I thought of this woman, broken…seeking the healing, the light of Jesus…what was her testimony after being healed?

We don’t know, but I bet she told many of her healing…a light to those who knew her..

 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 

She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 

For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 

And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 

And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 

And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 

And he looked around to see who had done it. 

But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 

And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Mark.5.25-34

"Tonight, I walked in from the store with my arms full and a brand new candle in my bag. As I struggled to get it all on the counter, one bag dropped and I heard the glass break. My brand new candle was ruined as the glass shattered. Frustrated, I was ready to throw the whole thing away. My husband refused to let me do so. “It will still light; it will still serve its’ purpose,” he stated. Immediately, I began to argue back.... “But it’s broken and ugly and glass is everywhere. It’s just not the same.”

I walked away and when I came back, he had placed the candle on the counter and lit the wick.

My heart immediately was drawn to the light. How often do we do this in our own lives or with others? Things don’t turn out the way we want them to. Plans fail. Dreams shatter. Goals hit the floor. People break our hearts. And we are ready to throw the whole dang thing in the trash. Even though it can still light.... still shine.... still bring the fragrance of goodness. It just may not be pretty or in the package that we wanted or imagined.

Tonight, may we all be reminded that even in the brokenness and cutting edge of life, there is still goodness and purpose and light. We simply must be willing to not throw it all away and allow the redemption to take place. There are times that our story will simply speak a little louder and impact even more people when we are willing to allow the broken places of our life and story to shine for others to see and understand."

Cre: Liz Liles Wagoner

Cowboy poetry…

 Cowboy poetry….

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering just finished in Elko, Nevada…the 38th year…

Our family lived in Elko basically from 1976 through my husband’s death in 2012 with a bit of time in Oregon going back  to school and parent care…we went to some of those gatherings…they featured cowboys from all over the world, telling of their culture, songs, traditions…from the French to the Mongolian throat singers to the Argentinian Gauchos to the Floridian  Crackers, from Native American to the Black cowboys…from the southwestern, Texan, Californian…different clothing, hats, boots, saddles and gear…

We went on ranch tours around the county, feeding cattle in January snow storms, hosted by ranch wives and their amazing food, ate dinners cooked over coals in cast iron pots..

The gathering features library day for the preschoolers, Cowboy church, poetry sessions going on throughout the town, plays, poetry workshops for all ages, cooking sessions of various cowboy cultures, fiddlers, markets of wares, musical shows, dancing, art shows, and just plain gatherings where people exchange friendships from far and wide…people from all over the world attend as well as local poets and interested parties.

The poetry was down to earth, unfiltered at times,  a love of God and country,  but the love of the cultures was and is evident…Baxter Black, Waddie Mitchell, Jack Walther, and dozens more filled out the schedules…

Thank YOU for the wonderful memories….

BETHLEHEM PINE, a cowboy Christmas poem by Stephen Bly



 

I was camped out in the Dakota snow

When Christmas Eve rolled around.

Me and Slim and a dog named Flop,

Three days ride from town.

 

Not a tree in sight for thirty miles,

As we huddled in the draw.

The chips ran out the day before;

We was burnin’ twisted straw.

 

Oh, it was cold, I’m here to say

And gettin’ kind of scary

As we hunkered down in our bedrolls

on that deserted, lonely prairie.

 

Slim was convinced we’d never live

to see the light of day.

He shook my hand, scratched Flop’s ear,

and then commenced to pray.

 

I have to admit it got to me

and I was feelin’ mighty low.

A frozen corpse out on the sage

ain’t the way I wanted to go.

 

So I joined with Slim in divine entreat

with a serious prayer or two.

“Lord, we don’t need all that much

… jist a small miracle will do.”

Lookin’ For A Miracle

The dry snow was a blowin’ sideways

when we first heard that sound:

A stutterin’ trot and a scratchin’ noise,

somethin’ drug on frozen ground.

 



The dark outline of a long-eared mule,

who smelled our puny flame,

came draggin’ somethin’ across the snow

and actin’ hugely lame.

 

We scrambled out in the frigid storm

to inspect what we could not see

And found a mule badly bleedin’,

still chained to an evergreen tree.

 

Slim twitched his ear, I pulled the shackle,

while the mule continued to croon

With salve and a half clean flour sack

we doctored that fetlock wound.

 

It was a twelve foot pine he chewed in two,

trying’ to set himself free.

I was thinkin’ the Lord answered our prayers

and sent us cowboys a Christmas tree.

A Mule Named Star

“The mule came from somewhere,”

Slim decreed, with hope upon his brow.

“Unhobbled he’ll know his way back home

and lead us there somehow.”

 

We called him Star, it seemed to fit.

He steered us to the stable.

We didn’t leave ‘til daylight, though,

it was as soon as the mule was able.

 

The tree we branded Bethlehem Pine

and it burnt up hot and slow.

It gave its life that we might live,

like the Savior so long ago.

 

You kin have your symbols of Christmas

with parties and presents at ever’ turn.

Jist give me a mule who knows his way home,

and a cowboy Christmas tree that’ll burn.

 

Stephen Bly

Copyright©2000

Testimony-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwNZZc1z4_o

https://www.allaboutreflections.org/christian-cowboy-poems.htm

https://westernhorseman.com/culture/out-west/a-gathering-of-cowboy-poets/

Cowboy poetry, Elko, Nevada…

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=cowboy+poetry%2C+elko%2C+Nevada+

https://exploreelko.com/top-events/cowboy-poetry/

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/wit-wisdom-35th-national-cowboy-gathering/

https://www.nationalcowboypoetrygathering.org

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboy_poetry

https://www.westernfolklife.org/blog/2022/5/20/ask-a-cowboy-poet-three-classics

Even the wind and the waves obey him….

 

Even the wind and the waves obey him….

 Some went down to the sea in ships,doing business on the great waters; 

they saw the deeds of the Lord,his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,which lifted up the waves of the sea. 

They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken menand were at their wits' end. 

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,and he delivered them from their distress. 

He made the storm be still,and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,and he brought them to their desired haven. 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,for his wondrous works to the children of man! 

Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

Ps.107.23-32

Sounds like reading the accounts in Matthew, Mark and Luke…but no, in the Psalms…

Verse of the day…

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

2Thess.1.3

I thought this a good verse for today…in light of the passages-“your faith is growing abundantly “…those disciples out on the stormy Sea of Galilee…their eyes must have been wide, jaws dropped when they saw the sea calmed by a word from Jesus…

Matthew, Mark,Luke all recount the stormy sea that Jesus calmly, calmed…

 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Matt.8.23-27

There are times, seasons when the storms seem to rage…times when we need a calming word from Jesus…when we are afraid, wondering when the next shoe will drop…when the light will actually show at the end of a dark tunnel…dark stormy times…and we shout, “save us, Lord, we are perishing!”….when our faith is weak…

And Jesus, the Creator, the Calmer…speaks through the storms of life, comforting, peace giving words…..

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John.14.27

Thank YOU….

Listen to the voice…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RfkCc5Tlyo

It is well with my Soul…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5oKwziJtxo

The photos were taken when we saw the Sea of Galilee…calm. Calm, calm…beautiful…

I loved the painting by Rembrandt…depicting the Storm…

Lamps…

 

Lamps…

Several years ago, we toured a replica of the tabernacle…one of my takeaways was the candle stand inside, burning with its light in  the Holy Place outside of the Most Holy…the whole room was glowing from the light…

Reading through the gospels, Jesus speaks of lamps…Their light is not to be hidden…in our lives we are not to hide our light…our reflection of Jesus…to bring glory, not to ourselves, but to our Father in heaven…

In Psalms, He speaks of the Word being our lamp…he lights our lamp, He lightens the darkness for us…Jesus, in the gospels, tells us to consider carefully how we listen…nothing is hidden…

Thank YOU…

 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matt.5.15-16

 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. 

 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? 

For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 

If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” 

“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

Mark.4.21-25

 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 

Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”

Luke.8.16-18

 You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;my God turns my darkness into light.NIV

Ps.18.28

 For it is you who light my lamp;the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

Ps.18.28ESV

 Your word is a lamp for my feet,a light on my path.

Ps.119.105

 For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light,and correction and instruction are the way to life,

Prov.6.23

 The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being.

Prov.20.27

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my Feet..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKlQpjl_oqY

Weeds…

 The weeds…

Let those who love the Lord hate evil,for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 

Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous,and praise his holy name.

Ps.97.10-12

I heard of another credit card fraud this week…someone had stolen a friend’s credit card number and was using it the charge for items…unbeknownst to my friend…leaving my friend feeling victimized and upset…

I know this goes on everyday, but we still don’t like it…

My husband started his geology business early on in our marriage, it grew and shrank, grew and shrank according to the economics of the years…there were famine years and fat years and there still are…we used the fat years to plan ahead as best we could the service the lean years… at times we had a multitude of employees and other times we shrank to a minimum…

Over those years we had great, good and not so good workers…

We trusted those whom we worked with to carry out their work faithfully…the majority did…but, there were times of fraud and embezzlement toward us…times we wondered how come, sleepless nights working through problems, praying for wisdom…laying down those hurts and victim feelings only to pick them up again…finally to lay them at the cross…there are bad people among the good…and God will take care of each in His time…

I love the parables that Jesus taught…

The one about the weeds was my today’s reading…reading this brought to mind the times we, as a business and a family, had to let God do his  work, lay aside our questions…and move forward…

Thank YOU…

 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 

But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 

When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. 

At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” 

Then he left the crowd and went into the house. 

His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 

The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. 

The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. 

The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 

The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 

They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. 

Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Matt.13.24-30, 36-43

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2tKVqZZiI4

Erosion…

 Erosion…

A while back, one of my grandsons was learning about erosion…

Taking different soils, he ran water over each to find out what would happen to each…

Rocky soil, silty dry-summer-road soil, soil held together with plants roots…

 As one can imagine, the water ran through the rocky soil taking whatever soil there was there away….the silty soil either turned to clay or ran away as well….the soil held together with roots, experienced little erosion….

I thought of this in reading the parable of the sower…

All four gospels record this..

Matthew 13:1-24

Mark 4:1-20

Luke 8:1-15

John 8:1-15

Seeds were scattered by the sower along the path, rocky places,  among the thorns, and good soil…

The first two did not grow well, the next was too cluttered , but the last grew the seed well…roots firmly planted into it holding the water given…no erosion…

The Sower=God scatters the seed=Word on various soils=people…those who accept it =the good soil are planted firmly with no erosion…the Water=Jesus nourishes them and they are planted well…their roots run deep….

 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,and who meditates on his law day and night. 

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.

Ps.1.-3

 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,whose confidence is in him. 

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.It does not fear when heat comes;its leaves are always green.It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jer.17.7-8

 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Jas.1.21

The rooted soil holds the water…living water…

 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Isa.12.3

 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John.4.10,John.4.11,John.4.13-14

I know I am not putting this well…

My point being, we want to be that good soil…we need that living water….we need to be rooted in the good soil…our roots (foundation)accepting the living water so that we are not eroded away with the cares of the world, false teachings, or whatever adversity is sent our way …

Rooted in Christ…

 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Eph.3.17-19

 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Col.2.6-7

Thank YOU…

Get back to the basics…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGkPtT3i7Nk

For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of…

 

For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of….

 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 

You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 

For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matt.12.33-37

Cringe-worthy…totally my judgment here…there are people who when they speak, just make me cringe, either their attitude, their delivery, their choice of words…it just grates like a fingernail on a chalkboard…and I can’t hear them or my mind turns them off…I shut down to whatever they may be saying…I am not trying be offensive toward them…but something in my spirit just cannot handle them…I try to be attentive and I may look that way, but I am somewhere else…I have to admit that, confess it…

Looking up the word, “mouth”, the books of Psalms and Proverbs have much to say about what comes out of the mouth…

I want my mouth/ heart to reflect what Jesus would have me think and say…

Thank YOU….

Psalm 10:7 (ESV)

His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.

 

Psalm 17:3 (ESV)

You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you will find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.

Psalm 19:14 (ESV)

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. 

I open my mouth and pant,longing for your commands.

Ps.119.72, 131

 Set a guard over my mouth, Lord;keep watch over the door of my lips.

Ps.141.3

 Keep your mouth free of perversity;keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Prov.4.24

 All the words of my mouth are just;none of them is crooked or perverse.

Prov.8.8

 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 

The wise store up knowledge,but the mouth of a fool invites ruin. 

From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom,but a perverse tongue will be silenced. 

The lips of the righteous know what finds favor,but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

Prov.10.11,Prov.10.14,Prov.10.31-32

 The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. 

The discerning heart seeks knowledge,but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. 

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

Prov.15.2,Prov.15.14,Prov.15.28

 The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent,and their lips promote instruction. 

Gracious words are a honeycomb,sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Prov.16.23-24

 The words of the mouth are deep waters,but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream. 

The lips of fools bring them strife,and their mouths invite a beating. 

The mouths of fools are their undoing,and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

Prov.18.4,Prov.18.6-7

 Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.

Prov.21.23

 A lying tongue hates those it hurts,and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Prov.26.28

 She speaks with wisdom,and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

Prov.31.26

Bless the Lord…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSxocnIaN0A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt7SGmo3gqQ

Your faith has saved you…

 Your faith has saved you….

 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.

Prov.16.6

I have a friend who is part of ministry to prostitutes here in the states…they visit local brothels once a month, offering friendship, counsel, the Love of Jesus…they take books, goodies, gifts each time…they encounter the bartenders, the working girls, even the owners of these places …taking prayer requests, praying with them…making an indent with Jesus’ saving grace into lives on the edge…

As I read this passage,  I thought of this ministry…it doesn’t say what this woman has done, but, only that she was a sinner…she felt the powerful pull of Jesus, his authority over sin as none of the other guests did…her faith in Him saved her…and she went in peace, like no other…

We all have that same choice to make…do we have faith in Christ or not for forgiveness of our sins…no matter the amount of sin…there is forgiveness…

Thank YOU….

 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. 

And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 

And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” 

And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 

Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” 

And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? 

I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 

You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 

You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. 

But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 

And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 

Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 

And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke.7.36-50

Romans 3:23 (ESV): 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 (ESV): 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 (ESV): 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9 (ESV): 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:13 (ESV): 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 5:1 (ESV): 5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 Eph.2.89

https://www.gotquestions.org/Romans-road-salvation.html

forgiven…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ZWEO36jok

I surrender 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j04Bx9pKwpU

He sets the captives free…

 He sets the captives free…

Day after day of cold, dark, dreary…many begin to feel gray, depressed themselves…a ray of sunshine feels so good… longer daytime hours help the grayness of our minds and souls…

I know several  people who suffer from SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder…my husband suffered from it…we didn’t know that until we  moved back to his home town in the Willamette Valley of Oregon to go to school. Each winter got rougher and rougher, his office had huge windows to let in as much light as possible. When we finally returned to Nevada, his moodiness went away…he was a captive of the  dreary grayness of winter…

Various pictures depict what a Jesus era prison looked like…none had the ambiance of comfort…holes in the ground, caves-dark and dank, stone rooms with chains attached to the walls for captive prisoners, no sanitary conditions, little food…darkness…

I have wondered what John the Baptist felt while he was held in prison….maybe some doubts, did he sing as Paul and Silas later did, did he write as Paul did…we know he had visitors, his disciples, those who followed him…did he question his stance he took against the rulers at the time…did he know he would die there…

He wanted to make sure he was following the right man…

while John was incarcerated, he sent some of his disciples to question Jesus..

 “Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 

And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 

What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 

This is he of whom it is written,“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,who will prepare your way before you.’ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. 

Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 

For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.”

Matt.11.2-14

I think in the dark times of my life, those fraught with pain-both physical and mental… when I felt I was held captive by various events, circumstances…doubts would come …was I following the right truth…I had to go and read the scriptures, the Word, the Truth, finding  my answers as well…dispelling doubt, solidifying my following of Christ…

John the Baptist didn’t come out of that prison…he died there…but, I am sure he ended well,  believing the Truth…knowing he had fulfilled his path in preparing the way of the Lord…

Did he remember the verse from Genesis… But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

Gen.39.21

Thank YOU that You lead the way…giving us the Truth in darkness…

I know whom I have believed…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y94OX71YM-8

https://ebible.com/questions/21354-why-was-john-the-baptist-in-jail-and-for-how-long

https://www.biblewise.com/bible_study/questions/johns-imprisonment.php

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/april/prison-ministry-history-visiting-prisoners-in-jesus-day.html

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/684237

The centurion…a faith like no other…

 The centurion….a faith like no other

Entering the ruins of  Capernaum, …the sea is off the the right…Peter’s house is straight ahead, safely hidden under a viewing structure….the town is left and ahead, cobblestone streets, bumpy and irregular, made of black basalt-like stone….the synagogue is left, sitting on a rise, pillars starkly standing against the sky, carved white stone…huge chunks of ancient buildings line the various walkways…an olive press off to the side,  built into the ground, at the ready for the harvest of those rich olives, you can almost smell the oil seeping out into the trough…

Oh, and here comes the Elders on a mission….pleading earnestly the cause of the local centurion…his valued servant is sick, they say…”…”He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 

The centurion feels unworthy even for Jesus to even enter his home…he recognizes Jesus authority…his saving grace…” just say the Word and my servant will be healed.”

Jesus responds with healing and admonishment and Declaration…”When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 

And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.”

The people to whom Jesus came to, the Jews, did not have the faith that this Roman had…they didn’t recognize the authority that Jesus had…but they came at the asking  of the soldier whom cared for them…

The books of Matthew and Luke recount the servant’s healing , the centurion’s faith…

I thought of this story as I was praying through our women’s prayer list…do I have the faith of this centurion, that prayers would  be answered…would others plead my cause , do I plead others’ cause, enough…do I ask, knowing Jesus has all authority under heaven to listen, to answer…do I run out and meet Him…do I wait expectantly for his answer…am I humble before Him…

Thank YOU…let me believing, humble, waiting before You…

 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 

And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” 

And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 

Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 

For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 

And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

Luke.7.1-10

Speak,oh Lord

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRIDqJPsPYc 

https://thewisebeliever.com/centurion-faith-lessons-sermon/

https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/forbiblestudynerds/2014/12/matthew-85-13-the-faith-of-the-centurion-theological-commentary.html