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…