Ephesians 1 ~ By the Will of God

Ephesians 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

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

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ,
according to the purpose of his will,
6 to the praise of his glorious grace,
with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace,
8 which he lavished upon us,
in all wisdom and insight
9 making known to us the mystery of his will,
according to his purpose,
which he set forth in Christ

As a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation,
and believed in him,
were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance
until we acquire possession of it,
to the praise of his glory.


15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you,
remembering you in my prayers

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory,
may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe,
according to the working of his great might

This he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead
and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and above every name that is named,
not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And he put all things under his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is his body,
the fullness of him
who fills all in all.

We are familiar with so much of God's Glory with our own thoughts. We were built to think about Father God.

Some of this is inspiringly new to think about:

THE WILL OF GOD

Blessings in the Heavenly Places - thought of by our Father in the foundation putting of the world.

Blessed to be of the Beloved.

Lavishing wisdom and insight to find in that glorious day the Mystery of His Will for you. According to this - The Purpose of His Will. We will find this in what we are drawn to in Jesus Christ. And He will unite us to this. Where your heart is warm. And in this Good News - we Will Praise God.  Praise in His Purpose for you. Thanksgiving will not cease. God is the Father of Love. God our Father of Encouragement. Father of Glory.

When we find what warms us to Father God - when we truly connect there and we are given eyes of clarity - about His Love to you - and your prayers will flow and flow. Glorious and Immeasurable Greatness.


Our Gracious Father giving us the Light of Jesus Christ in mankind.

To those who Believe and are promised to be the Children of God:

Our Father, our Almighty Father, our Abba,
May the God of Love
God of Encouragement
God of Glory
surround, uplift, encourage
strengthen and sustain you in the Holy Spirit, Jesus' gift to us.
in His Good Path
chosen for you.

In Jesus Christ's Great and lavish Love. we see Abba.
For ourselves
the ones we Love
the people God has given us

Uplift our Nation trusting in You.
Bring peace and more Heaven on earth from Nations trusting in You
Upheld by the Believers who are the Children of God as His Purpose has called us.

Not what you expect to see every day, and yet a reminder of the faith encircling the Creation of God He has called Good yesterday, today and tomorrow. I felt such sorrow for Michelangelo and the few times the Vatican releases this amazing treasure - then to have amazing works near the representation of the Sistine Chapel labeled by Museum Curators around the world as 'cartoon' instead of Treasure, World Wonder or Beauty. The definition of "Cartoon" - a simple drawing showing the features of its subjects in a humorously exaggerated way, especially a satirical one in a newspaper or magazine. These were not humorous or exaggerated, nor satirical. These are scenes of the Bible. Done by artists giving their lives to the depiction. Sadly this phrase was begun to be adopted when the Sistine Chapel was cleaned and found to have vibrant colors. We should see this for what it is - debasement of incredible expression of the Holy Spirit.

The Light of God continues to shine.

Blessings of Jesus.

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †

Psalm 107:1-32 ~ His steadfast love endures forever +†+

Psalm 107:1-32

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.



4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.


7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!

9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.

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

14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.

15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.

17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.

20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.

21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.

25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.

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

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

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

31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.




So I've got a pinched nerve. One minute I'm fine and the next - I cried 4 times today and realized our 1800's bed that requires me to jump up and jump down isn't the best with a hurt back. And I spent this afternoon with the Lord God explaining all the things that cause stress and finally asking Father God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit to see all my ideas, all my thoughts and flaws and see if I'm doing my best and to please help me.

And with that long and great honest conversation - my back felt better than it has in a week.




With this long debate on pain, I had a long conversation with a health insurance claim analyst. (***** A Friend, no claim has been filed on my back.) Who gets the cases when it started out as a legitimate claim - has lasted a year - and the company begins to medically doubt the claim is not honest but has now become used to the claim benefits. The Claim Analyst was telling me stories like the Best Surgeon in Denver has worked on a man just with hurting knee and after 6 operations - he barely walks. The opinion Age is just a process of pain.

I think we are very responsible for continual exercise or sports we enjoy. Prayer and Prayer and Prayer.  Jesus told us to continually pray. Never give up hope.

We've come a long way, but in some ways - even with Yelp - we could really use help. I was in a doctor's office in Conroe, Texas and know the staff fairly well. One of the Nurse Aids had knee surgery from the surgeon who had been the doctor's office next door neighbor for 10 years. She didn't feel the new knee was doing well. The short version of the story is - in the middle of the pain, the knee replacement worked it's way out after 10 weeks. Metal was out of her knee. She said she didn't know what to do. I told her to immediately call to Dallas to Dr. William Tucker who had been on the cover of D Magazine for his hips and knees. He brings 12 to 15 replacements into the operation room because the MRI doesn't fully tell him what replacement he will use. He did my mother's knee 10 years ago and she took 50 steps within an hour of the operation and said her new knee was better than the last knee. Dr. Tucker's recovery times are astonishing. The nurse from Conroe didn't quibble about the distance to Dallas and went that week to see Dr. Tucker. He said it was the worst surgery he'd ever seen and they had used a huge knee replacement for a 300 lb tall man on her knee. Within a week she had a 2nd brand new knee from Dr. Tucker and said she knew when she woke up - the amazing difference.

The Nurse Aid and I wondered how do you find what you need as you need this? Her boss is a surgeon not of knees and hips. We all need the favor of God
and ways to connect what we need.

In our 18-year bible study, we have one friend who is gone all the time in retirement. He is very bright and made very good money in the Oil Industry. He told me his General Practitioner is so very wise he requires a $3,000 yearly fee and comes with a nurse to your home. The whole idea of this rankled me and I asked his wife if this was a con. His wife said she goes to a different GP but he loves this GP. I wondered... Our friend came down with kidney stones. And he said this was serious trauma. Serious. And his GP told him - you have too high calcium levels  - your parathyroid needs to be removed and promptly put him in touch with the surgeon and this was taken out. I thought this was too unusual and worried. Our friend was fine.

From the same bible study, another lady had complaints of too high calcium. But she had not been to breakfast to hear about the surgery of the traveling mutual friend. At one bible study, she asked for prayer for her first kidney stone. I had her call our mutual friend and her parathyroid was successfully removed by his same surgeon. She felt much better with calcium supplements too. She said if our mutual friend with the unusual GP hadn't told him - we all wouldn't have known. God is astonishing the way He works.


Her husband had shoulder pain, he told me his physical therapist said if he'd begun with physical therapy pretty quickly - he'd never have had ever, ever shoulder surgery. She said if you are tough on shoulders (unless the cuff is torn and the arm is slipping out badly) you can repair shoulders with therapy. And our mutual friend Judy said the physical therapy for her shoulder was as tough as the before shoulder pain and lasted months during the physical surgery recovery. And this was excellent Mark told me this  - because my shoulders began to ache in February and were healed with daily prayer and God and swimming for 3 months.

God tells us so much in our path. We need God. And we need Fellowship. And we need a system of being able to tell each other and improve things like knees and hip surgery by carrying in 12 to 15 replacements for workability.




While I was volunteering for pro-life, I sat with a retired physician for over 3 years. Our dog had dragged me over a metal park bench while I chatted with someone and while the dog had seen another dog to go see. My ankle was in fierce pain. After we established I did not have gout - no way - I was told to find the right elastic ankle brace and work with this for 6 months and possibly 7 months. I read all the time people are told their ankles are done - pain is inevitable. Wrapping with the right bandage (I found one I liked at Walmart after shopping many Pharmacy stores because my ankles and wrists are petite) then reading about doing ankle exercises on You Tube. In 7 months, my ankle was fine. And it had Really Hurt beforehand. Let me emphatically say - I had a hairline crack. Edward had the bad, bad ankle broken thing and this was x-rays and moon boots and Doctor visits. My ankle was merely very, very sore and not broken in apparent ways of major swelling. However, if you are still having ankle pain - after broken ankle - consider the elastic sleeves for 7 months and doing physical therapy. Don't give up on hurt ankles. Use Epsom Salts too.

Do like Winston Churchill, "Never, Never, Never Give Up." And apply that to prayer. With Hope. Pray always. Believe.



My Bad Back at age 40 from Flu Coughing and Residential Construction Clean up was finally healed with prayer, time, time, time and cat/cow exercises, stretches and Tens Unit picked by Amazon Choice for Tens Unit. I set it on a 2 and used all day. Finally, we had Jesus blessed Healing. Prayer. Being relaxed enough to believe Healing is Possible.


Inevitably, we get to the Bottom Line. In the 1980s Angels and Prayer were "In." Major studies were done on prayer and people in hospitals. The prayed for group was 80% better. Jesus would agree. Always believe Jesus.


Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told his disciples
a parable
to show them that they should
always
pray
and not give up.

2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.

 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily




Let's pray and think of what that looks like the first 3 seconds of praying.

Abba, Father, we join with You and ask for Jesus to pray with us.

We lift up tired hands, aching ankles, and sore backs. Needs we have. Needs we know of. To have You speak the Word of Healing ending our diseases and forgiving iniquities.

With Joy and Expectation, we will work on healing and Love, Joy and Peace. We will be Lights to the world with Your Help, Father God.

We Bless You for Jesus Christ and His Salvation.

Asking You cover those we Love with Your Presence and Love.
And this for the people You have given us.

Blessing our Nation. The Believing Nations trusting in You.

We ask for ourselves and the people of Your Good creation - more Heaven on earth.

In Jesus Christ. Amen.

 ♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †

Luke 1:11-15 ~ joy and gladness, and many will rejoice

Father God keeps reaching for us to warm our hearts and enlighten our eyes to eternal Love.

Luke 1:11-15

11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 

12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 

13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 

14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 
15 for he will be great before the Lord.


Genesis moves from Genesis 3 to Genesis 2 telling of our welcome moving, living and having our being with our Father God.

Genesis 3
8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"

Genesis 2
25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.



Zechariah found this by meeting God's messenger.

Isaiah 45:24
Surely they will say of Me, 'In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.'" 
All who rage against Him will come to Him and be put to shame.

Acts 2
My heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
my flesh also will dwell in hope.
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One see corruption.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.

Malachi 3:10
Thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts,
see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you
and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

Genesis 7:11
The windows of the heavens were opened.

2 Kings 7:19
The captain had answered the man of God, “If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could such a thing be?” And he had said, “You shall see it with your own eye.

Stained glass is sand. 

Mere sand. 

Gathered. 

Redeemed as Worthy. 

Filled with Fire and Made Immortal.

Revelation 4:1

After this I looked,
and behold,
a door standing open in heaven!

And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

Joel 3:14
Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Abba our Father,

With Jesus, we pray,
for ourselves,
the Ones we Love,
the People You have given us,
This Nation trusting in God.
Our Churches.
The Nations trusting You to be the Light of the Nations.
All of Your Beloved today and tomorrow:

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand, he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore

More of Your Heaven upon this earth,

In Jesus, we pray, Amen.

Luke 7:1-23 ~ asking Him to come and heal

Luke 7:1-23

In the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.

2 Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.”

6 And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

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

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

11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.

12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

18 The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, 19 calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

20 And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’”

21 In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.

22 And he answered them,
“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. 23 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

Interesting Times.

Israel is not even 100 years old.

In the 1970's, the Church you were born to, was the one you'd be buried from. Denominations were set like pillars. People would ask, "Are you are Christian?" And the reply was expected to be Baptist, Catholic, Church of Christ, Episcopalian, Methodist and Presbyterian. So looking at you, one had the idea of political, moral, social codes and maybe how you voted and how you consumed substances.

I remember one particular meal with my father, mother and one set of my 4 every-weekend-godparents. My father said to my very believing and church-going Godfather, with an open gesture, "How is it you are such a good Baptist, but really you'd shock your mother to the core if she knew that locked door is a bar." My godfather laughed and said he would at that. But his mother shouldn't worry Baptists even dance now. His mother lived in fear the family would fall to such ruin that her granddaughter would offer alcohol, of any nature, at her wedding. The dear lady passed on and the bar was open and the wedding was very lovely. When my Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful Godmother passed to Heaven far too early from cancer - she had 2,000 Baptists and others at her funeral. No one had done more wonderful things for Church than my Godmother.


And today we change denominations and the Bible Believing Churches flourish. I believe this is called voting with your feet. My sister-in-law's stepfather was a minister and he joined the Church because all week long, as a child, he loved Church. It was the most peaceful time of his life. He participated in Seminary and joined the Church during Vietnam Draft times.

The Church was the 'engine' for Social Reform. His Church saw reform as the leaders were more interested in social reform than the Divinity of Jesus. The Engine of "Social Reform" was a time of great question. Who could believe in a 'virgin' birth? Ludicrous. The Disciples couldn't even read and the New Testament was printed in 400 A.D. as Constantine needed a new thought for the Roman Empire. That Constantine wasn't even baptized until death.

And divisions in the Church made shocking news. Things like Communion served with graham crackers and honey. The announcements that Paul was not really "IN" the Holy Spirit. Easy Divorce and re-marriage. In the 1970s my step-grandfather was Pounding on the Dining Room Table for Sunday Lunch and talking about the downfall of the Church is completely related to Divorce.

Tate was right.

And then the Society thought what is wrong with the Church to not preach the Bible? And people voted with their feet. Churches with Vietnam Social Engines were being outvoted by the laity. Who the heck would say THAT about Saint Paul? One of the large denominations lost 13 million people and fell to only have 1/14th of the people.

Jesus will tell us one day about the Image from Biblical Archaeology Review looking like Caravaggio. "Forensic experts have pieced together what they perceive to be the real face of Jesus Christ, and it is not the Caucasian man with long hair that is often depicted as the Messiah."

And you consider... Human Nature doesn't Change all that much. Goes like the tide. Rise and ebb. Look at Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi or Amerighi). Caravaggio probably started out as a pimp because his family lost every father figure and male sibling during the plague. You'd think all the knifing, prostitution, violence would have stopped a blooming art career. Instead, Church commissions surrounded the artist genius who left 14,000 pages of arrest and person of interest history from Italian Police.

We find - Caravaggio was part of the transformation from the wooden status images of wooden painted figures without expression - to express Jesus Christ. And Caravaggio loved women. Too much. He used famous prostitutes to portray the Virgin Mary. Why? Caravaggio used models he could afford. And about 40% of the Renaissance world women were prostitutes. Women who were avoiding starvation for themselves and their families. And from time to time Caravaggio truly got in trouble for using famous actress types hookers to pose for the best and most loving, realistic mother-child paintings in Churches in Italy today.

Caravaggio outraged Italian Clerics for painting the saints in dirty clothes and dirty feet. One of the people. The truth was when you look at Caravaggio's history - he was concerned with who the saints were. He didn't want to paint Mary and Elizabeth in Velvet Renaissance Dresses with perfect curls. All these commissions were making the painter think.

Something Proverbs would be glad for a man with 14,000 police reports, a man who defended prostitutes sometimes violently. Jesus would have been interested in Caravaggio.  The Painter presenting the Church with an image of the everyday person as a saint.

Matthew 16 - Who Do you Say that I Am?

But this image of Jesus persists. And in the 1970s we had Jesus in sandals and a work-shirt. Adopting pre-Renaissance art tone and wooden intonations of miracles. Flat. History. Improbable. But be polite. You know, don't you, that Pontius Pilate is a myth? And the Hittite Empire is a fantasy. The Exodus? No historical documents. Hippie Jesus with poverty and improbable stories where we politely go and visit God on Sundays. The children dress up and learn about who Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are. Psalm 23 and John 14 for funerals. 1 Corinthians 13 for weddings.

And then you have our generation.
We voted down the Social Engine. We are surrounded by Divorce and find we adore our Children. And we are consistently telling each other as we watch HBO that the culture has a problem. And yet we find as Game of Thrones goes on - the sex was a filler and now the plot is interesting because the filler is thrown out. Reddit reports a skit of a young actress telling her lines - her friend is shocked and says, "Oh no Porn!" The actress replies, "No HBO!" Her friend is so relieved....The movies are far from R rated as they almost all were in the 1980s. And the checkout counters do not have the magazines in wrappers. We hear that the internet is riddled with Porn but when you really look at research, you find the Pew Report says - ain't no one really gonna tell. So guess what? Porn on the internet is more or less a myth/guess. Look at Game of Thrones.

There was one little shining light of how often the internet is used for answering Biblical and God Questions. A Lot Actually.

I was reading the Amazon reviews today for Water Picks. The best and most favored reply was the one with numbered stages of the Review. And the number 5 answer said you don't have to run cold water in this one because the reviewer was pretty sure he'd felt "his soul leave his body for using cold water on his teeth." He received many, many helpful votes.

We have actors standing up saying please pray. To know God is to know Joy. Our President says Jews and Israel really have something we need to preserve and defend.

We find Boston is telling Martin Luther King, Jr his dream he has is alive and well. The Laity says so.

And the times are completely interesting. Israel is unearthing archaeology daily. The Head of the Louvre and the Head of the FBI testified in Antiquities that the sarcophagus of James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus was true. It was widely mocked but the end of the 5 year trial with Israel's foremost Judge listening to The Museum of Israel broke down in tears and said it was a matter of faith.

And faith is to be treated Reverently as Hope, Faith, Joy, Propelling us all to Rise.

We no longer report the Hittite Nation was a fable. When their intact Library of Papyrus told the Bible again. Pontius Pilate is discovered in carved signs in Israel and in Roman Employment History. In fact, Roman History tells us Jesus existed and was very feared. We know Pontius Pilate wrote to Emperor Claudius of the bizarre and frightening cultural response by the multitudes to the death of Jesus. That letter is lost and is repeated as junk. Two fine historians report the Letter. The earthquake - earthquake seismology history records as well as rocks saved to show the force of the earthquake. 325 years of Empire history against Jesus and His followers.

Papyrus Salt 124 - the art world of Museum Curators has put out a video and is now reporting the lifelong works of Michelangelo, Raphael, Masaccio, Donatello, Leonardo Da Vinci as "Cartoons" as if we would adopt the usage of a questionable word as an official and new artistic word. We need the art world to learn archaeology and like Joy Behar, of the View, to apologize for choking their opinions down the throat of the paying viewer. Art is not a "Social Engine." And Politicizing beauty is very distasteful. Assuming an un-educated public in need of historical and archaeological guidance. Too many museum workers and art historians are proud of the Christian History of their objects. The Leaders of the Museums offend many. The workers see and appreciate the beauty and peace without labeling art as "Cartoon."


Papyrus 46 is 300 Three Hundred Intact Chapters of the New Testament. The debate is on the verbs - are they 1st Century or 2nd Century? Either way, the Disciple John was alive and reporting his view the Gospels were all true.

Which brings us back to the Gospel today.


Jesus is doing things that only the faithful will believe. Son of David. Yes, even the mocking reports available today in Scotland from the actual Sadducean Council Talmud records record - Son of David. They accuse Jesus of sorcery for the signs. Falsely report his night trial as heralded for a month. Letters record with horror the 2 million who showed up after His death in the Temple and report the healing as accurate.

Godspell was cute, but it was far from accurate. The Disciples on the Road to Emmaus report "All of Israel Knows." This is factual from the first day Jesus began His ministry. All 2,000 of Capernaum showed up to hear what a man healing "them all" had to say. Multitudes of women were brave to face Good Friday. The men worried they would be like Simon carrying the cross.

This one portion of Luke 7 explains:
The Jews - the elders - showed up to make a team with Jesus and Roman officials. The political climate is fraught with Isaiah 7 - intense power and money in Rome has swept into Judea and put a non-Davidic on the throne. The Essenes report the Holy Spirit has left the Temple as Herod marries his sister-in-law and puts his own hand-picked into the Temple. Even the small Capernaum is feeling the pull of this.

Speaking of Isaiah 7, we learn the family of Jesus is known to be hardworking land-owners. They will have a cow and work so hard cheese and butter and curds are made. They will grow grapes and make wine. They will have a donkey. In fact, the Gospels show Joseph to be so lucrative - Joseph is able to sell and leave Israel for Egypt to decide like a business man if he will return to Nazareth or Jerusalem. An intelligent foster father looking at the politics of his world. It's Mary who records any resentment of money. And the Sadducean Council confirms her genealogy of Luke 3 as they speculate on the woman who was seen to be the mother of a fine and loving family. This is a family of hard workers. Who have enough to be comfortable and do the work. Eusebius, the bishop of Caesarea is a credible, world renown historian, giving his own eyewitness confirmation of the standing of the Family of Nieces and Nephews  with many family built,-as customary, Jewish Family Dwellings. This faith and hard work has carried the family forth into the 4th Century.

Joseph is a Carpenter.

When you see what was built in Nazareth, you are not speaking of sweet little chairs. Joseph easily would have built stone houses to exist for 500 years and Commercial buildings. This man was in Trade. He is remembered. His family is known. All the way to the Sadducean Council. Immensely wealthy like the Romans? No. Merely a pillar of Judaism. Joseph was such a fine catch, Mary's family is seriously mad at her for showing up pregnant. It's recorded Joseph shows up in Nazareth to take her to Bethlehem - Joseph was very probably from Jerusalem - as the son of kings.

Jesus running around in filthy clothes. Near the Sea of Galilee? And all the women who supported Jesus. Probably not. Do not carry an extra tunic - yes - and the women of Israel turn out in huge numbers of support for the Son of God who routinely includes and talks to women. Rethink this. Jesus is not a hippie. Jesus is Jesus. Kosher is about cleansing. Even Roman guards fight for the clothes of Jesus.

Jesus reports correctly he has no home. His home is in Nazareth. But Jesus is wearing a rare Chifton without seams. Jesus easily finds a rare horse and a donkey for Palm Sunday. Jesus is the Christ. The Son of God. And when Jesus raises the widow of Nain's son - see the Divinity. Jesus is at the gate of Nain. A place of honor. Jesus is with a huge crowd - they are going to remember Jesus has raised the dead from merely touching the bier.

Our Jesus is God and our God has announced with full Godly sized Crowd and Force "THE DEAD LIVE" because Jesus is leading not just the multitudes but the millenniums to the Salvation of God Himself  - He wants to save the World. Because our God reports Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow in Genesis 1, 2 and Proverbs 8 - God sees His Creation as Good and the heart of mankind is seen into and seen as delight.

What about Jesus as a peasant? Doubtful. Jesus was unusual in that He looked at hearts. And when Jesus forms His Disciples He chooses Peter and Andrew as having the best house and prosperous fisherman of Capernaum. Simon a Zealot - a looked down-upon figure for rejecting Romans. John and James - their father is a pillar in the Synagogue. Judas an accountant. And a well-to-do thug accountant as Tax man - Matthew. John the Baptist is a Priest's Son. Jesus is seen as poor because He put God first. But Jesus was well taken care of as He worked incredibly hard at His Ministry. Jesus embraced all the classes. This is our God. God of all.

What is the Cost of the Cross to you? Proclaim the Light of the World - Jesus as God.

Live as the Saved of God helping the people given to you. Live with Truth and Mercy. The Goodness of our Amazing God. Jesus is God. God, Himself is for us. We will live with the Goodness of God for us. In our bones, body, mind and soul.

Amen in Wonderful and Living Jesus Christ.

 ♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †