1 Corinthians 13:1-8 ~ LOVE

As I write this Ash Wednesday Post, I'd like to be transparent and say we dressed and traveled, early, to the Highway to find an incredible, miles long, traffic gridlock. Waze turned red. As red as the American Vote.  As we finally got home, if it had been traffic as usual, we would have been there 25 minutes early. We sat looking at our backyard and the peace of the evening.  Later, we will look for Church on YouTube.

Ash Wednesday, starts our Lent, for us, not in a position of strength, but in an application for the Grace upon Grace of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

If speak in the tongues of men and of angels, 

but

 have not Love, 

I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 

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. 

If I give away all I have, 

and 

if I deliver up my body to be burned, 

but have not love, I gain nothing. 

 Love is patient and kind; 

love does not envy or boast; 

it is not arrogant 

or rude. 

Love does not insist on its own way; 

it is not irritable or resentful; 

it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, 

but rejoices with the truth. 

Love bears all things,

believes all things, 

hopes all things, 

endures all things. 

 Love never ends.

When we see Ash Wednesday, we see crowds.  And for the last 3 decades, Ash Wednesday had become rather empty. Last year, it was difficult to find a seat, why we started out early.

What brought this change? 

Churches that didn't go full-blown left and horrify their congregation, are about the same size for the years.  Or more crowded for doing, as the Pew Report suggests, believe the Word of God and have faith. Reading all of the Scriptures. These have been the growing Churches.

Why is Lent, more dear to our hearts? 

As the culture has spoken to false guilt and real guilt, and false guilt, we have had to think about our boundaries. The sincerity of who we are. The relationship with our Father, to let Him know we care for His Heart for us. We want to please the God of Love. God of Encouragement. Our Father, who gives us such a gift in Jesus Christ. 

Love never ends.  God tells us this. God has an open door policy.  Pray 650 times. Prayer over 500 times. Praying lists over 650 prayers. Heart 1951. Hear 808. See 1375. Worship 545. Love 685.  Obey 489, 

Philippians 4:8

 

 Finally, brothers, 

whatever is true, 

whatever is honorable, 

whatever is just, 

whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, 

whatever is commendable, 

if there is any excellence, 

if there is anything worthy of praise, 

think about these things.

Jesus gave us The Lord's Prayer, and He said, 

Your Kingdom come, 

Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven

Our Lent will be more meaningful with Sincerity. 

To use our heart and, looking, to see more of the Kingdom. Having our Lent traditions and in the power of the Holy Spirit, putting our faith to our souls.  Last year, we looked at the miracles of Jesus, to focus on Him and the Grace upon Grace ministry given to us to bring us faith in our lives every single day.

We have conflicts every day.  

To speak sincerely. Not to create chaos.  A simple, “Oh, No.” Will work. Or just not going along and changing the direction. But to give in, is to give a chunk of heart away.  

Philippians 4:1 

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, 

my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, 

my beloved.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, 

my beloved brothers, 

be steadfast, immovable, 

always 

abounding in the work of the Lord, 

knowing that in the Lord 

your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 16:13

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, 

act like men, be strong.

Ephesians 6:11

Put on the whole armor of God, 

that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Galatians 5:1

For freedom Christ has set us free; 

stand firm therefore, 

and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Speaking the

Brave Truth with Mercy

There are zombies 

and there are 

resounding gongs,

clanging cymbals

Being sincere

about the tongues of men

is to have Love

and speak

the language

of Angels

If we just nod and repeat what everyone says, maybe it's easier.  

Probably, eventually the water warms up and we begin to become the same jello. A zombie. One who is a Salmon running the same paths, with the same words, 

jumping up the same stream 

toward 

the inevitable end.

Scripture speaks in us. 

If Scripture were blasé, merely words on a page, like Mithraism, faith falls away. Mithraism was an attempt to blend the old gods with the fear of the new Christianity. They paraded the sacraments, and repeated the phrases, but the hearts knew it wasn't sincere and truthful. 

Our cultures are not flourishing. 

Life is not choosing to continue. 

All of these advancements. The computer will yell a conversation at you, in slang speak, being vulgar if you ask.  You can connect every minute to people you knew 30 years ago, instead of the person across the hallway or street.  Communities I see, really reach out, to bring birthday gifts, help a wounded pet, encouragement for those in financial distress.  But our streets are not full of Tea Time Visits or backyard BBQ. Our sons were not invited to weddings in college. The High School sweethearts divorced when the wife didn't like the hard work life was going to present. 60% of Americans polled say they hope not to be invited to a wedding because bringing a gift is a drain on their financial situation since Covid and Biden.

Immigration? To provide Social Security? Babies are not being born. We are not having weddings, babies or gift shops.  Less education.  Fewer homes are being available for ownership after being built. Rent is as much as mortgages.

LIFE

We are having these years, 

seeing Lent increasing, 

to ask the Lord for His Mercy, our failures and for blessings. Not just for me, not just my far-flung family, not just the neighbors, and friends far away. We are having Lent, increasing, because we want 

all of us 

to have more of Jesus. 

His Way. His Truth and HIS LIFE. 

We can run through life repeating the correct phrases and correct little words, blending in. 

Or we can take a stand and help each other to find a culture who asks for LIFE. 

Love is the steadfast need to make Life. 

We build houses and require absolute stability in the supports and beams. 

These are the Laws of God, the Fulfillment of the Law in Jesus Scripture. The way, truth and life of an ongoing Love. What Life requires.

To find strength against the storm and wind, and to have the Truth in us to be the shelter.

The helper. The comfort. Honestly. To make the ones in our lives stronger and not delight in destruction.  Not to be the climbing stairs, but the strength of comfort and delight in the honoring of one another.

We are the people of God. He asks of us sincerity, honesty and caring.  

This is why Lent is important today.  Not. Not. Not to repent continually, but to find the Strength to create Life all around us. 

The earth is the Lord's and the fulfillment thereof! 

Psalm 8:4-8

What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man 

that You care for him? 

You made him a little lower 

than the angels

You crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler of the works of Your hands; 

You have placed 

everything 

under his feet  

  

Colossians 1:15-16

The Son is the image of the invisible God, 

the firstborn 

over all creation. 

For in Him 

ALL things were created, 

things in heaven and on earth, 

visible and invisible, 

whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. 

All things were created through Him and for Him.

  

Walk by faith. 

In The Light He spoke into creation.

  

Genesis 1:25  

  

God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, 

the livestock according to their kinds, 

and 

that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. 

And God saw 

that it was

 good. 

The Word of God does not change.

  

26 Then God said, 

“Let Us make man in Our image, 

after Our likeness, 

to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, 

over the livestock, 

and over all the earth itself 

and 

every creature that crawls upon it.

27 So God created man in His own image; 

in the image of God 

He created him; 

male and female 

He created them.”

  

  

God says rule over. Have dominion. To take hold of what is Good and Be, continually, more Heaven on earth. Teach, encourage, speak the truth with mercy. Encourage the goodness of the earth and all of life that fulfills His Joy. Not merely repent. Live Abundantly.  

Overwhelming?

Unrealized?

Not exactly.

The gift of Salvation is not done by any of mankind.

The gift of Salvation is from The Lord.

The Plans of God will be fulfilled.

You open your hands and your heart

and try.

Do the good before you to do.

And then reach UP again.

That's the adventure

the glory

the peril

the GIFT OF BEING A CHILD OF GOD.

Live the adventure

Abba, Father!

WE PRAY 

BLESSINGS 

and

GIVE THANKS
FOR YOUR BLESSINGS

THANK YOU

The safety 

of those

helping the earth 

to heal.

Let evil 

and practicing evil

depart 

far 

from us

and our children.

Alleluia!

GRATITUDE
for so many answered prayers.

We pray for the United States

not to have

another 

Massive Immigration.

White, brown, red

rich or poor

massive immigration 

is not an answer.





Giving THANKS

to

Our President

Donald Trump

and His Cabinet

for securing a 

PEACE

and

NOT WORLD WAR.

ISRAEL

GAZA

UKRAINE

RUSSIA

And ask You for appropriate leadership

in

THE NATIONAL CATHEDRAL.
Worldwide leaders condemned the erratic and unfaithful Sermon given by Bishop Budde. Who previously condemned President Trump for saving St. John's Church from arson, saying President Trump wasn't kind to the homeless during arson,
and not a person to hold up the Bible.

Then condemning him for following the vote

the Vote of the People

for The Laws of the Land

and ceasing gender mutation on children,

as the Catholic Church Condemns

as a failure to provide Dignity to each Person.

We Pray

for the departure

of what is not good.



The Anglican Church of The United States blessed outreach of the 

Worldwide Anglican Communion

GAFCON

HELP

us

to

be

More Heaven on earth

and LIFE

For the recovery

of fraudulently

spent

tax

dollars

for 

the Nation.

With

GOD

We will act justly

 and to love mercy

 and to walk humbly with You, our God.

For the health

of Pope Francis.

Appreciating Pope Francis

Asking his physicians

to tell the truth about his 

serious lung condition.

Healing in Jesus.

We Pray.

And Thank You, Lord.

The Joy

of the Lord

Our Strength!

Dwell 

in me,

Dwell 

in us,

Dwell 

in those we Love.

Please

Strengthen

our

Families

and Relationships

worldwide

Help us to seek You first.

And 

we will finish well, 

in Jesus Christ. 

Help us seek 

find 

bring,

to become,

 more Heaven

on 

this earth.

Los Angeles

has more water in the canals

Thanks, President Trump.

Lord God,

Help for California

Help for Detroit,

Help for Virginia's floods

Help for North Carolina

THE GRAHAM MINISTRY

SAMARITAN'S PURSE

IS 

DOING INCREDIBLE
Love and Mercy and Work.

GIVE TO

 SAMARITAN'S PURSE

Please.

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/

And in Jesus - This Hope.

Faith and Love - we will rise up Believing Jesus.

Amen

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes The Lord Fulfills His Purpose

Thank You Jesus The Lord