James 3 ~ By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom

James 3

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.



In the renewal, the love letters of renewal and regeneration.

God gives us specific exercises in life to strengthen us to His purposes. Why would He do this? If it were merely exercise in life, we might burn out or be bored. That effort has life in His plan, Strengthened us.

Psalm 138
I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.

4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.


God does indeed call us to His purpose. We can resist and become hardened, bitter, unhappy, dismayed. And even if we are seeking HIM, without the diligence to find gratitude we will indeed become immune to the blessings of life.

Gratitude is not something we should do without and
requires  effort for most of us.

God does not ask us to spend our lives guessing His purpose and task for us. It's rather a simple thing. Humble. Give Justice with Mercy, Walking Humbly with Him. 

Life has some strength in determining His purpose for me.  For all of us. And it is a rather simple way with it. Easy to remember. Easy on the brain, comfort for the soul. 

Acts 10
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, 2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.

It's rather overwhelming for us to follow in the footsteps of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Who opened His arms and took on the sin of the world. Our sin. And almost incomprehensible for most of us to imagine, being Peter, moving out of Jerusalem and moving onward on His Path. The Lord's own brothers did this too. And Paul.

However, we all love the stories of Jesus interacting with the Centurion. And we all foster a secret hope in us this is Cornelius. We cannot know until the day we go Home to be with Jesus. Yet we can mostly imagine being Cornelius. Working for a rather hostile environment to Christianity. How did Cornelius witness? He looked for the teachable moments. He opened his hands in the morning to the Lord.

Lord Father God, let us go with You each day praying in all circumstances. Knowing we want to do better. But not giving into the sadness of our weakness, instead rejoicing You see us with patience, kindness, rejoicing in our truth giving, bearing us up, believing in us, hoping in His Love and omnipotence, enduring our weakness, rising over our weaknesses in triumph. Giving us, in grace, Your promises of enduring life, a plan for a hope and a future. Because You are Love.

Father God we give great thanks for the continuing prayers we give for each other strengthening us to do Your will. The prayers of the righteous people are powerful and effective. In Jesus Christ Risen over Death, our Lord. Amen.

Each day we are building. In prayer we ask, let me be fruitful for You. Let Your glory shine in my life. And eventually, there is a moment you are called upon. This is a good thing, a warm thing, because Father God builds us easily to do the good works He plans for us. We serve the Living God, who walks with us in wonder, just like He did for His disciples, and equips us for this.

Ephesians 4
to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.


God is love. The disciple who wrote this walked with the incarnate Word of God. And he was enriched and changed for all his days, proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven Is At Hand.

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Addendum:

Wisdom, we are called to be more than nice.  Nicey is the fake subtitles to fall back on without wisdom. We are to search our soul's depths. We live within the wisdom we seek. We are equipped.  Isaiah had practice for three of Judah's kings before he was sent, sent, sent to help Hezekiah.  God Does Equip us.

Give Justice, With Mercy, Walk Humbly with the Lord. 

We cannot give effective change without honest complaint. Why should we accept dishonorable social hierarchy within our lives, our Churches? 

Paul wrote, in the Holy Spirit's voice:

Romans 5:3-5
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Paul is NOT going El Greco hair shirt here. For too long we have bought into the spiritual snare of jump twelve feet up in the air we constantly fail Him. God accomplishes HIS Plan, His Purpose long after His workmen go Home.  Hope does NOT put us to shame. This is not the illness of suffering is good for you. God's Love Pours into our hearts in the Holy Spirit.

Do we think Paul enjoyed suffering? Are you kidding me. Paul spent one of the Chapters of the New Testament, published today, not edited out, in real hurt he was abandoned in his deepest efforts. This is not a man rejoicing in sufferings, but telling us the hard work relies upon HIM as our Champion.

Run your race to win. He expects try, diligence and no cheap grace. Don't hand Him the sweep up broom with a smile. Do the hard work.

Give Justice. If you experience injustice, look that squarely in the face and do not fake nicey up. 

Give Mercy. The truth is we are bound within events of our lives with diligent try. Joshua did more hard work, sweeping up the Exodus. Not to the right or the left. Balance. 

Good conduct? Show me the effort of try to work with in the boundaries life, remembering the Day of Blessing and the day of adversity come from Him. Give thanks for the blessings and the reality of the day.  Mercy? Not just your comfort zone, but the kindness of seeing others diligently trying.  Let's see continued support for good conduct.

Mercy. Speak kindly, this might be the only kind word we see all day. Thank you, Karen and Paul Lewis, for living this out.  We do act as the Body of Christ, working to upbuild in Love.

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Matthew 6:26 ~ your Father feeds them

For the loved pets, we wish to remember, gather with our other treasure in heaven.

For Spenser, who never traveled to the beach, but is missed. Age 13, when he ran to the Lord.

And Merit, who would have been 15, this week.

Do Pets Go To Heaven? Do Animals Go to Heaven?

Scriptures never say heaven is only for humans.

Revelation 5:13
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"

God’s covenant with Noah included both people and animals (Genesis 9:9-11). However, that covenant was not one of eternal life, but that He would not again destroy the earth with a flood.

The fourth commandment as recorded in Deuteronomy 5:12-15 includes a Sabbath rest for animals as well as people. Again, it reveals some equality between people and animals, but makes no statement regarding animals going to heaven

Psalm 148:5-6
Let everything he has made give praise to him. For he issues his command, and they came into being; he established them forever and forever. His orders will never be revoked.

Animals and man will be in harmony (Isaiah 11:1-9).

Isaiah 11
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and of power,

the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,

or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,

with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;

with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt

and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,

the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together;

and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,

their young will lie down together,

and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,

and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy

on all my holy mountain,

for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD

as the waters cover the sea

Jesus said:

Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 10:29
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.

The passage in Romans 8:18-25 certainly does include animals as part of “the creation.”

Elijah was picked up from heaven by horses, this was told to Elijah before it occurred and Elisha saw it happen. The Lord could have sent anything to convey Elijah to heaven, but the horses came from heaven and the Lord sent them.

2 Kings 2:
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!"

The four winds sent from heaven are on horses. The four winds are written of in Daniel, Zechariah and Revelations 7.

Zechariah 6:
2 The first chariot had red horses, the second black, 3 the third white, and the fourth dappled—all of them powerful. 4 I asked the angel who was speaking to me, "What are these, my lord?"
5 The angel answered me, "These are the four spirits of heaven, going out from standing in the presence of the Lord of the whole world.


A good man cares for his animals
No one but Jesus can be called good.

Proverbs 12:10
A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

Luke 18:18-19
18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
19 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.

1 Corinthians 9:9, Deuteronomy 25:4

For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You Shall Not Muzzle The Ox While He Is Threshing " God is concerned about oxen, isn't He, He's not too busy.

We are not told implicitly, but heaven has been told to us in verses in the bible and the verses seem to hold God’s love spreading to animals in His eternal kingdom.

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Addendum:

In the recent best selling book, "Heaven Is For Real", we learn about a miscarriage the boy knew nothing of, and became his sister in Heaven the boy tells his family about. "Yes, Mom, the baby who died in your tummy." Grandpa's photo, gasp, was not recognized. Gasp.  Until a wise Grandma thought to place Granpa's youthful photo of him in his young, young twenties before the boy -- "Oh Granpa!!" Talk about Happy Family then.  And Jesus has a white horse.... what. Yes, Jesus had a colt He asked for to ride into Jerusalem. 

There is a favorite paragraph in Ephesians for me:

Ephesians 3
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 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, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

We read in the Old Testament God named people. I believe earnestly we are named by Him. Today. All of us. And we learn families Live together, and I Believe He means more together than ever in Heaven. I'm planning on a fleet of Springer Spaniels and all those kitties.

Father God, You sent horses from heaven to earth for Elijah. We wish You would gather our loved animals into Your kingdom. Your love never fails. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Ephesians 2:4-10 ~ raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus

Ephesians 2:4-10

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.


Matthew 26:26-29, 30-35, 69-75

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” 71 And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.


No one was ever going to get past giving Jesus the once over. Peter had seen Jesus heal and redeem; he alone is recorded as speaking up for Jesus when the disciples started to leave as Jesus announced the New Covenant was going to work as ~ His Body.

There is only one who is Good. And that is the Lord.

His Grace is beautiful. Breakfast with great love. Jesus even prepared the meal.

Peter was dead in the sense most of us would have cut him off. Peter did a lot of the reconciliation work - one must remember - he was willing to get in the water and swim to Jesus - this time not relying upon his own worthiness and self-righteousness.

What Would that forgiveness feel like to sit and Look into the eyes of Jesus Christ? Peter did something about that, he told us.

1 Peter 1
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!

To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of ... Jesus Christ!


not a result of works

1 Peter 2
So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

1 Peter 5
shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.


God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us... God came to do Salvation. Salvation is God's desire. HE wants to save ... the world. I want to be in that number. God help me to be one too.

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Matthew 13:18-23 ~ He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty

Matthew 13:18-23


“Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."



We love to remember the Prodigal Son and place ourselves in the story. But the seeds remind us ..... we move. We can sit in Church and be angry with the LORD. We can sit in Church and be judgmental or complacent. How are we different in our beliefs and actions when we were 12 years old and on the brink of adulthood?

The point is to remember - this is about being the Light. To help where we can, pray and feel excellent about it where there isn't a solution for us to apply. Prayer is not the fall back. Prayer is the beginning. I prayed for a clerk at a store who needed a good doctor. I prayed for that doctor to reach out to the woman. My son and his girlfriend ran after a homeless man in his 30s at the Houston Astos Baseball Stadium, to give him aid. Who ever heard of such a young, handsome man being homeless and hurt. People walked past him as he stared at the concrete in front of the ticket window. My mom has given money at a Dallas Arboretum window when a young father acknowledged to his wife that he didn’t have the funds to pay for the tickets. He was so embarrassed. “Oh, ma’am you don’t need to do that!” My mom replied, she’d been left outside the ticket gates herself. When we feel pressed upon ourselves, perhaps that is the best time to look to see how others are. I know this week, a situation I would not want has brought about more communication than I've seen in a good long time. Providing a bridge and a gratitude so profound, it will not be swept away.

In a time of trouble, God is good. It is up to us to remember not to soak, but to bear fruit.
It is up to us who have children - remember about seeds shifting in people’s lives. They have questions about the faith and they want you to know. Things like why did God have kosher? God had kosher because during the Iron Age, the age of King David, children of Israel lived to be in their 50s. The rest of the world was dying in their early 20s. Kosher saved the women in the Exodus in childbearing.

God wants us to think about seeds shifting as we raise our children. To talk about difficulties in life and to talk about things like sobriety, honoring the older generation, problem solving and learning to trusting and lean on God. God wants you to teach your children, looking for the teachable moments. Reading the Scripture opens us up to what is going on in the people around us.

Father God, today, I ask You, what would you have these hands do? Let me do it. Let my heart pray. And help me to do Your will. Help this day to be fruitful to you, bringing a crop of Glory to You. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

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Luke 11:1-10 ~ Now Jesus was praying in a certain place

Luke 11:1-10

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come.
Give us each day!
our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
[Deliver us from evil. Matt 6:13]

5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

[For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.]
Amen.

In the Name of Jesus Christ the LORD. Amen

I'm not sure why we don't usually ask in the Name of Jesus Christ the LORD.

John 14:13-14
Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Two things happened today. We've been praying for a blessing for my brother John since June. And I'd have to say - John got an answer today!!

With the second being - you bring up prayer with Christians and you will get dialog. And a really good example of prayer. Angie Key was telling a friend about a situation in their children's school. Her friend said, let's pray. Angie and her friend then held hands and prayed on the sidewalk. This turned into seven or eight ladies beginning to pray in the locker room each morning. This bloomed into the Principal seeing the effects of answered prayer and attending conferences on prayer rooms. Soon a prayer room was made and then prayer cards. A place for prayer requests.

Jesus is telling us - today. NOW He is engaged with prayer. And in a certain place. The Bible is rather mysterious about that place. With so many conversations about prayer, perhaps there is a mystery to prayer.

However, I'd say Jesus is saying HE understands that prayer is sensitive.

Our conversation today asked:

Is God Sovereign?
Do we change His Plans?
Is He still Sovereign?
Are His Plans written in stone?

How would we ever know the answers to these questions? This is overwhelming. And today we know where David's Palace is located because.... exactly, because someone took the time to see what God said. The instructions were in His Word.

We can trust His Word because Jesus is the Word of God spoken in Genesis Chapter One.

God told us immediately about how HE sees prayer... Prayer is something He looks forward to and is a cool walk in the Garden from a day of work. Revelations says our prayers are fragrance to Him. The New Testament says pray constantly and with thanks. This would make our souls, our lives a wonderful place for Him to move, dwell and have our being. A Place the Holy Spirit longs to reside.

Enter in the temptation. Eve did not tempt Adam, rather Eve longed to be a Judge. To Judge Good and Evil. To be like God. We live this life making choices and judgements. We need judgment to have Wisdom. Jesus knew what was in the heart of mankind, no one needed to tell Him. And knowing all this God Chose to Save HIS World. The Fullness of the World is His. Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the Sons of Men.

Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Even the hairs of our head have been numbered. This is how deeply our Father longs for us.

Is God Sovereign? This is the work God assigned to mankind, that we believe in Him.

Do we change His Plans? A friend who has impudence, He will rise and give him whatever he needs. Key word - needs. Gosh, was Jesus just whistling Dixie? We change God's plans. And we call that wonder a Miracle.

Jesus told us to pray and not give up hope. And then HE told the story of an evil judge pestered and pestered. And we know the story of Israel. Jacob wrestled for Blessings.

Would you prefer God saw you as His friend or an evil Judge? Expectation is important. Do we truly believe our prayers could change the plans of the Almighty? He says something about that. All things are possible to him who believes. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. Confess with your mouth, believe with your heart. 

And even more incredulous than I have plans to give you a hope and future declares the Lord, all things work together for good, for those who love the Lord.

How wide, how high, how deep is His love for us ... today?

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place.... Jesus does not say where. And He doesn't say how He positioned Himself. He does not even tell us what HE was praying for.

He tells us this ~

Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Is He still Sovereign? Matthew says He is. The Father rewards.

Are His Plans written in stone? That's the 10 Commandments. However...

Psalm 139:13-17
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!


So perhaps, just maybe, what we are really asking is if God uses white-out on His Book. Referred to as the Book of Life.

No, sadly, God does not often use white-out.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Now don't do this....

Ephesians 4:14
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

Because God IS the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

It is that Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, we see the Book of Life is created...

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness

We should seek to be the one God looks forward to speaking with. In prayer, a conversation with God who would walk with us.

2 Corinthians 5:5
He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

John 14:13-14
Whatever
 you ask in my name,
 this I will do, 
that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 
If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 

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Psalm 28 ~ Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts.

Psalm 28

To you, O Lord, I call;
my rock, be not deaf to me,
lest, if you be silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,
when I cry to you for help,
when I lift up my hands
toward your most holy sanctuary.

3 Do not drag me off with the wicked,
with the workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors
while evil is in their hearts.
4 Give to them according to their work
and according to the evil of their deeds;
give to them according to the work of their hands;
render them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the Lord
or the work of his hands,
he will tear them down and build them up no more.

6 Blessed be the Lord!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.

8 The Lord is the strength of his people;
he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

 Sanctuary

The Lord IS the strength of HIS People.

Today we have social media to content with. Go Ask Abby actually gets a lot of FB questions. Amazing. Old hurts find a new outlet.

The Bible is clear on the release of thought, especially before the release of public consumption.

Matthew 18:15
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

What I have learned this year, is that people are open, when they Love in Jesus, to be more forgiving. People recover and bounce.

And Abby answers a lot of questions about learning of major news, with major hurt, on Facebook.

Matthew 18:1-35
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


A lot of times when people have issues of notification first please, that is actually about the tumble of events rather than deliberate attempt to disassociate.


The Lord told us to forgive others, because we are not even always aware of the hurt we involuntarily give.


David knew well about the trampling of toes, actually the trampling of feelings.


Psalm 19:11-14
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.

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


Be gracious, O Lord Father God, to the sinners. Because I know I'm one of the number. And help those saints go marching in. In You Always. In the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

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Psalm 57 ~ Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge

Psalm 57

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

4 My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
8 Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!

We don't hear a lot about Haiti these days. What happened, what about the jobs. The able-bodied, work oriented people of Haiti escape illegally into the Dominican Republic (Cotui, DR photoed above) and sent most of the money they make back to Haiti.

So, we would assume the Dominican Republic has wealth,jobs and hospitality to give the immigrants of Haiti. That would depend upon if we view $300 a month as abundance, a typical income. Cotuí,a city in the Dominican Republic, is one of the oldest cities of the New World.

 And when a woman, Milagro, looked at her adopted city of Cotui, she saw nothing but a bar where people stood around - and we are saying they stood outside of small place - all day waiting for a crop to come in every three of four months to add money to their family necessities.

Milagro wanted her city of a thousand to have "something." Religion is seen as being in touch with God and God forbid we should have to be 'perfect' to be Religious. The Community rode bikes and stood outside a bar all day. It's difficult to be 'perfect' in a community where they truly know one another very well.

CHANGE. Change is an interesting subject. One of the first missionaries we know is St. Patrick. He had no blueprints to follow when he finally returned to England from slavery in Ireland;  St. Patrick wanted to take the people away from hostage to evil god worship and hatred. And War. He had no blueprints, just the desire to make effective God relationships to change hearts.

Milagro wanted change. 19% of the Dominican Republic graduates from High School. Most people have children following along in a cycle of poverty. Sometimes moving to the larger cities where slums are swept, kept clean, and nothing changes. She started having conversations with missionary organizations like Vision Trust and was denied. Turned down. She isn't a pastor, minister, and she was a flight risk.

Milagro wanted change. She kept asking. Soon there was a Learning Center that Vision Trust now fosters in that community. A school. Still there is the drop out rate due to many troubles in harsh life. She tried for ten years to have a school house. And it grows each year. Surprising them all, she'd been turned down a lot. And there is no manual in front of her, just a desire to bring Hope, Faith and Love to a community without very much.

Vision Trust invested in Milagro and her dream. Each year the school is a little bigger. Children without enough to eat - eat twice a day. 

But the men of the community were standing around the yard of a bar. And Milagro wanted more for them.  So for two years she asked Vision Trust to pour concrete with a roof - a pavilion where they play Volleyball and other sports, until they cannot see the ball and the day is done. No more bar.

And what about the Holy Spirit - there is some head way. People are little by little believing the Faith, Hope and Love of being giving the care they needed. 10 years ago, men huddled in a bar area with just talk. Today their children are educated. They know how to share. Lollipops were given 10 years ago and the giver would be bombarded with grabbing and taking. Today, a circle forms, gifts are given and thank you's are given. People share what they receive. Confident the Lord will provide more. 




However, that seems a little backward. 

When you think about that.  


David Livingstone (1813-1873) brought the Light of Jesus Christ to Africa. He was very famous and very much a man who told the natives a good thundering Sinner. And he certainly did NOT provide them with Volleyball. He instead gave healthy doses of measles and cholera and as they lay dying he made sure they swallowed salvation. Nasty, horrible, Marching Saint of God. Horrid. Repugnant.

Now. that is effective Missionary work.

**** Except that's totally untrue. Instead David Livingstone did this -

Livingstone on the other hand, traveled lightly. Livingstone was a proponent of trade and Christian missions to be established in central Africa. His motto was "Christianity, Commerce and Civilization."

Most of his journeys were with a few people, bartering for supplies along the way, with a couple of guns for protection. He preached a Christian message but did not force it on unwilling ears; he understood the ways of local chiefs and successfully negotiated passage through their territory, and was often hospitably received and aided, even by Mwata Kazembe.

Philippians 2:4
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Effective change - Milagro -.... her name is 'miracle'. This just wasn't going to work out. For ten years or five she was denied.

Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

And a Volleyball Court - that is hardly "The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand"

Paul wrote to His Churches for Decades - hoping the Light would still shine in the Darkness.

Where is the fruit?
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

More people are going to school than ever before. The volunteers used to meet under the trees, now they have a shelter. The people who help the Haitians on a daily basis have more food on their own tables. Gifts given are shared. The joy on the faces is unmistakable. More people have a High School Degree and go out to bring back more to their community.

Nelson Paulino is the Director of Vision Trust, out of Colorado. He is a High School graduate of the Dominican Republic. He is seeing the difference they make in the lives of nineteen hundred students a year. He is one of them. Hiring Mark Cornelison, from The Woodlands, who is leaving a Youth Ministry Job because he is in love with the changes the Holy Spirit is bringing to this area. The men willing to say to their communities "I love the Lord Jesus Christ. I am not perfect. But I follow a Risen Lord."

Change is an amazing thing to watch. When we follow Jesus Christ, there really are not written guidelines beyond what Jesus said.

Luke 10:27
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.

Change comes from Loving HIM, before you love others as yourself. And love yourself as well.

Thank You Father God for... Milagro.  Vision Trust.Org is always grateful for the ways people of God help them, help others.