Mark 7:24-30 ~ In fact, as soon as she heard about Him,

What will we expect from Jesus - Living Son of God - Author of the Living Word of God?

Mark 7:24-30

24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and  
did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 

25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27 “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

28 “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

29 Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”
30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Jesus was always known and IS Known as being
approachable.

In our lives, we all come from
different aspects,
seasons and varying degrees of our Journey in Life with Jesus.
Jesus is not the type of Man, God, who will revile someone in their wobbles.

We were not there, we do not know if the Syrian woman approached Jesus with dogged diligence or if her whole approach was filled with trepidation.

If someone greets Jesus for many years and many paths with trepidation - this is just like the Prodigal Son being seen, far, far away. The Father had time to make sure this was his child.

The Bible is living and active, Jesus is not going to shame the Syrian Woman for having trepidation, Jesus is going to be with her and work out her worries.

We all will encounter the Living Father God in various seasons of our lives. Some days we read this as Jesus is being quite regal to a gentile. But perhaps this particular gentile expected God to speak to her in ways she found recognizable.

Can you imagine if the woman had approached Jesus and said this to Jesus and He replied, "Oh Ridiculous, your daughter has never ever had a demon. She had Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder and you, being merely at the start of the Gregorian Calendar, surely you are uninformed and stop groveling."

(Yes, I am completely sure Jesus knew of what He was speaking of in Divine Knowledge in the passage - this is an analogy.)

God being God - is going to have to approach us in our highest level of thinking. We cannot attain to filling the Heavens with our Presence. Father Francis MacNutt is a 91 year old graduate of Harvard. He has been involved in healing ministries for 40 years. Father MacNutt says that when someone is healed they want to know right away if the healing is permanent. They begin testing the permanence of the healing like a colt on new found, shaky legs. Father God does not zap them for being people of little faith and take the healed miracle back. God allows us to grow. To lean to Him. Francis MacNutt reports the Joy of the realization process of healing.

Now, Am I absolutely correct? The point is the living aspect of the Word of God. I know the WORD of God is Living and Active and our convictions about the Vast Mercy of God will agree with the Disciple John working, walking, watching, talking, living, and experiencing Jesus. Saying to us - GOD IS LOVE.

In another season of our lives, we may read this exact same verse because we have a season of dire need and just need to throw ourselves upon Jesus and render our firm faith as suddenly shaky. Jesus IS going to say, "Are You A Teacher Of Israel?" This is the voice of a parent trying to brace up a child.

Or one day, we might lead someone to know Jesus for the first time and their own Father was cruel. And to approach God with need for repentance - this indeed is learning - God is God - He is God and we did not make us, God created us. Human beings can make hybrid cars, vegetables, and genetically help humans to conceive life. We have never even made dirt. We do not create life, we use the instruments of God.


How does Father God like to be addressed in Expectation?

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Ephesians 3:12
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Luke 18
10“Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

God is God. Always. His own Word tells us about Father God. We use our talents and gifts to bring them to Father God, in prayer, saying, "I hope I have pleased You." Believing of Father God - He is Love and He is easily pleased with earnest hearts who Love Him.



Father God, You have placed me in my life - just where I am. You gave me my name, you gave me my circumstances. I have days of plenty and days of want. Help me this day to place my thanksgiving, my gratitude for what has blessed this day - as a gift from You, Father God.

Help us in our circumstances we label as difficult. You, Father God may not see our difficulty as troublesome. When our boundaries do not enlarge, You ask us do we see a desert or a patch of land to garden and cultivate. Help us to be wise in our own thinking. And See You are a God in Whom Nothing is Impossible!

Let me place my heart, my talents, my gifts in front of You and ask that You are pleased with my efforts. Let every knee bow at the Highest Name of Jesus, let us kneel and worship. You are our God. We are the people of Your pasture. We place our cares in Your hands. Thank You for hearing our voice. Let us hear and understand our calling in life from You.

We bring in our hearts, the Ones we Love. Asking You for their upbuilding, to broaden hearts and to create more Heaven on this earth. Give us every good gift we need and continually point us in the right direction. We ask this for our work, our friends, our Church, our State and Nation. Knowing to Know Your Love is to create Love, Hope, Faith, Joy and Peace. Help us be led in Upward Goodness and not as needing a bit and a bridle.

THANK YOU FATHER GOD, Your mercies RENEW each day. In Jesus. Amen.

 ♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Sunday Letter August 30, 2015

 

Psalm 126

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3
The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.

4
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like streams in the Negeb!
5
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6
He who goes out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.

Dear We the People,

In the middle of financial uncertainty, what we need is Hope that God is present and our futures are held in His Hands and His plans for us all are for a Hope and Future in Jesus Christ. Innovations within our infrastructure have provided the renewed encouragement in the abilities of honest work leading to earned rewards. Enduring labor to tell our children of our accomplishments, trusting our sales will continue based upon quality work.

Mike Graves has run The Woodlands Shoe Hospital for 34 years. He gave me such a wonderful idea he had I had to shake his hand. We have all used many reviews of Trip Adviser.

Mike Graves points out you can serve 2,000 customers and have many repeat customers and a few people who endlessly complain will make a company appear to be what it is not. Even sabotage is possible. Mike has an idea with real ingenuity. Asking reviews to be made with a profile of the reviewer. How many reviews are positive - is a payment to the merchant actually recorded. Some of the worst complainers get their life frustrations worked out on others. PACN recently had a Yelp review of a client not on the schedule for an ultrasound. Reparations were suggested, a follow up was recorded - the reviewer is recorded on Yelp for only 3 very negative reviews of their frustrations.

Mike suggests for multiple reviews and honest commentary - companies use the review service to offer coupons to repeat customers. Merchant and reviewer having the chance for honest commentary from a third party source.

Good luck to Mike Graves in his future location in the NE corner of Budde and Sawdust in the Sawdust Plaza Shopping Center. His current location is being removed for I-45 real estate improvements in close proximity to Exxon's Headquarters. Exxon and The Woodlands will be glad to have Mike still nearby.


My other idea continues to be University and Technical Training for free for United States military. Our military forces never asked to stand in line for Government Food Supplements as they put their effort into defending our Nation.

I do believe we should again look to Chinese examples of military invention. They have build an island as a Military Base. China is not infringing on allies, who in the event of war would expel or blow up the military base. We all know we created damage to our international relationships by having bases on foreign soil.

I suggest to you almost all military bases should be closed and instead of building an Island, The United States Airforce and Navy instead significantly increase the Air Force Carriers who group together to form a movable island. Not one sinkable ship but groups of 10 staying near each other and exchange personnel. Protected by observation, satellite, noise detection, motion and small submarines.

I propose to you many, many ship builders have the skill and the need for this work. I suggest ships be scraped or refurbished. I do not believe our ships sitting and being decommissioned is a good use of funds. I recommend Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS.


1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.


May the Lord continue to Bless our Nation and let us be One Nation under Father God. May Father God favor us with solutions and innovations continuing to provide for us faith, hope and Love. In Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

 ♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

John 6:41-42 ~ "Isn't this the son of Joseph? Don't we know his father? Don't we know his mother? "

John 6:41-42

41-42 At this, because he said, "I am the Bread that came down from heaven," the Jews started arguing over him: "Isn't this the son of Joseph? Don't we know his father? Don't we know his mother? How can he now say, 'I came down out of heaven' and expect anyone to believe him?"

This is the True Story of my neighbor's Hindu Arranged Marriage:

They met at age 25 at the arranged wedding alter. Neither looked pleased. After the festivities were over the groom asked the bride if she loved another. She said she did. He said I did as well. The groom said I have an idea that will either fix this or fix us. He said taking of virginity is unpleasant. And he had no desire to take something like that unless willingly given. He said I will be your brother and your best, best friend for the next two years. I will listen and fix what ever problem life brings you with complete loyalty and care for two years.

By then I will be 27 years old. At that time I will be educated very well and can earn enough money to divorce you and you can tell your parents later I beat you. She agreed.

And for two months the groom had to remind his bride not to tell her troubles to her mother-in-law, but her groom. Eventually she told him and she said she was so surprised - he cared. And fixed. And helped. He had to remind his bride a few times that she was not so caring of his troubles.

Eventually they worked out how to help her support him correctly. And they had a second anniversary. The bride was taken to dinner and the groom was nervous. She asked him why. He said today we agree what will happen to us. She said she had forgotten. He wasn't especially pleased to hear that. And he said are we divorcing or we going to be married? And SHE SAID ARE YOU NUTS, WE ARE MARRIED. And he said - we are not really. And she said, well I wondered when you'd get around to that.

And on their 50th Anniversary, where a very large party gathered - the participants agreed - this was one of the Happiest Marriages they had ever seen. And the Groom spoke and he said, "This has been the happiest 48 years of my life!" And the wife said, "I've been happy for 50 Years!" The groom glared. The wife laughed. And their son said if only the world could experience that kind of marriage!

After further thought I realized - this is not just a Hindu Marriage Story - this is the Blessing of the Marriage of Mary and Joseph. Joseph was building the betrothal house - when news came of Jesus. Joseph had to give up on his ideas of a normal, calm life. And Joseph's life began to change. And change and change. And a move to Egypt. All of this marriage became the teamwork of people who take care of each other after their Love for Father God.

Luke 4:22
All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.

The culmination of this friendship, marriage, God honoring first and loving each to has two similar passages in the Gospels.

Matthew 22
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.


 Father God,
You are telling us as a Living God with Living Word that Your God Nature is a God of Peace.

Father of All Things in People, Circumstance, Creation - You brought Your Son, Lord Jesus, our Savior to have Victory and to conquer death. 

Living Father God You are the Great Shepherd of the sheep. Giving Your own blood shed in terrible, terrible anxiety and sacrifice to the eternal covenant of faith and of Life. 

Please equip us and the ones we love with every good You would do to accomplish Your Will! Please dwell within us, our family, friends, loved ones, co-workers, Church, leading to our State, Nation and the Nations of God to work in ways in the Path pleasing in Your Sight. We ask to accomplish Your Will in Gentle Love.

Though the Highest Name of Jesus Christ. To You Father God and not to us be the Glory forever in the fulfilling of Your Word and Will. In Jesus, Amen!

 ♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Philemon 1 ~ So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.

Philemon 1


1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.


4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.


8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Genesis 2:18 ‎
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Matthew 3:16
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Even Jesus was encouraged.

~ For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.



Genesis 7:9
They entered the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah.

Luke 10
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

John walked along with Jesus and proclaimed God to be - Love.

Without Love - God is not described.

1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing."

John 14:26
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to


Father God, each day we wake up and remember what we need to do and what is pressing. But if look up to You in expectation and keep looking, we will find the moment in the morning where You have built in a time where Your mornings renew and euphoria of God giving us This Life and His Help rushes in. God You are with us in prison, on the highest mountains, in Church, in traffic jams, in Christian radio. In our blessings, in our mundane, in our troubles, and IN OUR JOYS!

In knowing the Presidential debate will sadly and laughably talk about renewing the tax system as if this could occur and clean up astro-nuclear-physics reams of rules. Instead of addressing why we have only 6 media companies leaning to the left. Or why we might need Tax Constitutional Amendments not in control of the man from Bethsaida who thinks Health is part of the IRS. Why Caligula would run for President and suddenly it is remotely possible to say blacks won't vote for Obama again. Is that ok??? And to say deport all illegal Hispanics. For media manipulation to skewer Clinton over emails and not decades - setting up the time Hilary rushes in to clean up the game show host's Glitches and we forgive her as a nation for "email" deletion and not "real" crimes. Wag the tail. (Aggies and Texas residents will remember Clayton Williams running for Governor - he was so refreshing UNTIL it was gaspingly obvious is completely not Presidential.)

In the middle of all of the confusions of life - the zigzags, the bodily exercise, health, finances, transportation, friends, losses, gains, jealousies, dogma, pragmatism, hope, jade, up, down - look for what is refreshingly noble. Yearning to upbuild. Encouraging. The new steam in "Pro" "Life" the joys - the endurance, the faith that God is still with us - Father God - THERE - we ask YOU TO THRIVE FOR US. RENEWAL.

In supreme joy - KNOWING YOU are for us as we lean to you - Encourage us, Lift us, Transform us, Embolden us to Speak of Your Steadfast Love. You tell us You are Vast and fill all the Heavens. There is no place we can go where Jesus and Your Love do not dwell. Lead us in Paths of Your Light, Mercy and Grace.

Help us to speak of YOUR LOVE telling Your Beloved Children that the unique and beautiful gifts and talents we have are because - and why - creating the bridge to Jesus - This is Why we LIVE. And why God endures with us to tells us of HIS Joy of a Father Looking to Renewal. God runs to us as we are Teachable Hearts. Let us, Father God,  have the privilege in all we do to - Run To You! Bringing in our-  both hands - a chain of loved ones, friends, co-workers, Church, neighbor and State, Nation and In Your Provisions of turning 5 mere loaves into 5,000 fed - Let us Help You Save The World for Jesus Christ who opened His arms for me. And for us. In Your Love - God of Love - In the name of Jesus - AMEN!

Let our Yeses be from You, Jesus! Amen and Amen and Amen.

 ♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Mark 8 ~ With his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. "

Wherever we are, we Journey in this life, with Jesus.

Mark 8

During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”

4 His disciples answered, “But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied.

6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand were present. After he had sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.




11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

14 The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15 “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

16 They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

17 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”

21 He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”



22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”




27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.




31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”



34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 

35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 

38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”




This Passage is Absolutely, Delightfully filled with ins and outs and dichotomies and Wisdom of Jesus.

I Corinthians 13
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.





Jesus is working very diligently at communicating. Because Jesus has infinite compassion on His People.  Making Jesus God.  Jesus elevates us with His teachings. In the face of oncoming death, Jesus has compassion, goodness.

What surprises me, is to learn, again, Jesus clearly explains feeding the multitude happens on two occasions. There is no mistake, Jesus feeds His People to comfort them on two different days.

Jesus warns his disciples to carefully look at assumed goodness. Jesus is assuring His Beloved, regardless of miracles, troubles, questions of motive - Jesus is the One to Look for. Today, we are a little jaded. We look to see what people's motives are. Jesus is saying the One to follow is Jesus.

Beyond fairness, wonderful sunny skies - is what we can bring to God in all weather of life. Not for the reward, just to say, "Jesus Wants to Save The WORLD?!! What can I do, to contribute some?"



Insignificant what we can do to help Jesus?
Really, really, really then we have forgotten WHO JESUS IS. JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD. THE WORD of GOD INCARNATE AND MANIFEST. Jesus can take 7 loaves and feed 4 thousand. We might be able to give Jesus 7 loaves. Or maybe we only have 5 loaves. Jesus might feed... five thousand.

Or perhaps all we have is a kind word. Words according to God of faith, hope and Love - go Far.

Compassion to realize that when people deal with slow death - they are not on the same page as other people.

Maxine, my cousin and Ward, believed this profoundly. On the back of her bathroom door was this - "I went for a walk and saw a lazy, lazy man sitting in his lawn chair to rake his own leaves in a small circle. I shook my head internally and wondered why the world was so lazy with my diligence to exercise and maintain. My lap took me back past the same house, with the same man, and saw - this time - his crutches for his stroke. I realized - this time - the circles had moved and widened. This man was doing all he could to do what he could. "

Jesus says we look for a sign - Do we see compassion in ourselves?
Jesus talks about the effort to cure - Blindness - look twice.




I have to give myself talks on kindness and endurance. My husband has 3 damaged and terminally ill brain lobes. Most of the time I know what he will say, before he says his statement. Usually there will be a cuss word, or several. Usually there will be fear toward authority. Usually there will be a gross or crass joke. If we discuss my new cataract lens and operation this week, there will be a discussion on it being gross or sewn or uneven - at one point causing me to run to the mirror in horror of catastrophe. If the family gathers, we will hear racism of the 1960s and how the world was so very harsh. I will be told what I do is substandard. Every action I give will be questioned. We will discuss the same 60 or 70 highlight stories of our lives - endlessly.

This is Brain Death. And then suddenly in the middle of cussing, coarseness, fear, repetition, blaming, being told how inept I am, endless discussions of sports, in the middle of this - Edward will tell me he loves me. And will consent to run an errand with me. He will drive me to the eye doctor's office with the smooth, balance and reliability of the man who was such an amazing, amazing father to our two boys. When the old ray of pure Edward Light shines - I know that this is my job, in the Lord, to care for this man who was so wonderful - for so many years.

Has Edward fallen apart publicly. Yes, the day he was talking to himself - only making sense to himself. And I cried behind my sunglasses to see 3 men desert Edward permanently. Has he fallen where he embarrasses me publicly - yes. Does he do this all the time - Heavens, no. You have to live with him to see the internal crumbling. Or be his own, wonderful, mother, Judy, who sees and grieves with me.

I once saw a man who was remarkably similar to Edward about 10 years ago in the store Sam's. He was screaming bloody murder and caused all 100 shoppers in line to halt. Screaming of consumerism and garbage and stink of humanity. As he was there to shop. I turned to the woman behind me and asked, "What is THAT?" She said two words. "Brain Damage."

I saw the man later at Starbucks. He was no longer well cared for or well dressed. He was ill-kempt and unhappy and completely and utterly confused. He stood looking at the line of coffee orderers and the coffee sippers and did not know what to say or do. He stared at the ground and later walked towards the Assisted Living nearby. Alone. Silent. 90% of all brain damaged football players are divorced Before Brain Diagnosis.

No one who has done this many dinners with their children. This many Youth Ministry Missions for preteens and teens for their sons and Jesus - should be left to endure this by himself.

One day the cussing, cussing, cussing and coarse coarse jokes and the 70 stories will not repeat. But I will be here to tell his grandchildren of the dear man who Lives in Jesus.




Brain damage... is not like the Statue of Liberty falls over like an axe hit her. Brain Damage is the internal decay causing this Beloved Monument to lean and falter and look fine until a crumble occurs.




How did Jesus, as God, patiently endure and persist with what HE Knew Truth Is and have to explain and explain. Sometimes Jesus spoke sharply. Sometimes Jesus said, "Don't tell that part." With the hilarious comment of Jesus shaking His Beloved head, "Don't even go into the Village!" Jesus telling His Disciples - draw strength away from human concerns and see we are all going Home. In God's Plan. And Jesus continuing to do what God needs Him to do. Jesus IS - Our Hero.


Father God, give us oil in our lamp keep us "humming" for You Father God. Give us oil in our lamps, we pray. Give our loved ones You Word and keep us humming for You, Lord. Keep us humming in You, Jesus. Let us bless each other, our loved ones in You, our neighbors, our Church, our co-workers, our State and our Nation - upheld in Jesus the Lord. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Psalm 128 ~ you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you

This is one of the wedding gifts my cousin and ward Maxine gave us ~ Look down with favor, O Lord on these Thy servants, who, by Thine Divine Authority, are one in Holy Matrimony. Grant them Thy loving protection through days of lasting peace; and bless them with the love of their children's children. Amen.

Psalm 128

 ~ Revised Standard Version

Blessed is every one who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!

You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.

Lo, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the LORD.

The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!

May you see your children's children!
Peace be upon Israel!

 Jesus Ascends in Victory to His Father and Our Father - Who Runs to Jesus!

The Roads in Heaven are Gold - Warm. A Life and Journey - Pleasing to Father God.

 

This Psalm of God's always fills me with hope and raises me up. I like it more and more as I grow older. The Psalms are lived. When I was younger, I expected all the bounty and blessings of God, without a lot of real prayer. Easy life. Not only is it a Psalm about Heaven, where the best is yet to be, this is the Kingdom available through Jesus to us - today. Today is the promise of our Father God's goodness for this life. Hope for this Life. This day.

When we are young, life is so very pleasing. As we grow older, we have a greater appreciation for what our parents and grandparents did for us. God saying - Far more blessed to give, than receive; I am grateful for Maxine's prayer gift, I look forward to my grandchildren. My son Alexander laughs like my paternal grandmother, it is an echo of love. A hearty laugh from the belly, like being surprised at joy & overtaken. I look forward to seeing the next generation and to have the opportunity to be the love and caregivers my grandmothers & parents were to me.

I love to picture Heaven. For several Easters I'm blessed to receive a Jacquie Lawson card. Beautiful and transforming like Heavenly glimpses.

If you've ever seen the movie "Places in the Heart", 1984, it won 2 Oscars. Fabulous ending scene in the Church over Communion. If you are looking for a quiet Saturday afternoon, "Places in the Heart."

Blessings to you this day.

John 17 tells us Jesus prays for us and with us. Exactly like Father God runs to His Son.

Go in My peace and grace today. My love is flowing from your heart to your face and hands, And I will you  as my vessel of My love today. Just rest in Me, and be that trusting child.

And yes look at every upcoming challenge as My opportunity to show My love nd grace to you. I know your concerns , and I will take car of each one, just as I've always done. Look only to Me, and you will find Me all-sufficient. Have I not met your every need every single time? Do remember My every wonder in your life, and know that I already know the provisions I have in Mind for you.

I also know every single detail of your imminent rescue, My child, the wonder of which will astound you. You can't possibly know now what I have in mind, but soon you will know, and great and wondrous Will be your joy. Live in that joy even now, this very day, knowing that the promise is as good as the fulfillment.

Father God, we lift our cares and our Loved Ones to Jesus. Amen.



 

 ♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

 

Luke 4 ~ Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down

Jesus and Great Isaiah Scripture Roll from Dead Sea Scrolls.

Luke 4

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, 
“It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

8 Jesus answered, 
“It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;

they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

12 Jesus answered, 
“It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.





 

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. 
The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 

21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

 

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

24 “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy[g] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.

30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.


 
31 Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.

33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34 “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

35 “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

36 All the people were amazed and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” 37 And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.




38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.

42 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

The Great Isaiah Scroll. Found after 2 millenniums - intact and discovered in this present generation - where Israel is, again, a country.


Jesus could have chosen to be born and live anywhere.
Jesus chose wisely. Jesus chose to Live Abundantly where the Holy Spirit was honored.

We see Jesus lived Psalm 100, Jesus was entering the Places of God with Great Joy and making Himself clear. God is clear today. All we have to do is seek Him.

Jesus holds promise in this Life and in the one to come. Godliness has value in all things. We will labor and strive to put our hopes in our Living Father God. We believe fully in Father God. Our lives should have thanksgiving, and in believing in Jesus we are consecrated in The Word of God and in prayer.

The alternative  is this:
The Devil uses Deuteronomy 6 as his cover for his actions. Using the Scripture for his self interest and cover of completely insincere righteousness.

Luke 4 is about living for God's Love and Delight.

This Love does not preclude speaking up. We are to speak up to be braver and to do good. Not to return evil for evil but to turn  away from unnecessary unkindness.

We can defeat goodness by assuming meekness for Christian persecution. Our silence will worsen the country.

However taking vengeance instead of polite answers is wrong. Right is right and then be polite. Give up anger and  forgive and give to God. Dwelling not on what is wrong but what is good. Attitudes of defense after right is spoken up for, to anger for prior wrongs is just incorrect if this merely stirs up conflict.

We are not required to look at angry on-going discussions and controversies as interesting. Let Love Be Genuine. Fake plaster smiles help no one. Passive Aggressive is out. Sincerity is in.

Father God, we lift our cares to You. Thank you for the Gift of Sight. We trust our loved ones to Your care knowing You are the Good Father to us all. We lift up our Church, our co-workers, our neighbors, our State and those other states we Love. Our Nation to have You as the Authority and for all Nations to lean to You for Mercy, Love and Goodness. Thank You Father God, for our blessings. In Jesus. Amen.

 ♔ Lord Jesus Saves †