Matthew 10:24-33 ~ Do not be afraid

Matthew 10:24-33

24 "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!

26 "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.



We want to protect our little flock. Give them every advantage.

We don't want dark or scary things to happen.

Jesus gave us the seed parable. He expected talents, seeds to germinate and bear fruit. He expected life to test us.

Job 23:8-10
If I go east, He is not there, and if I go west, I cannot perceive Him. 9 When He is at work to the north, I cannot see Him; when He turns south, I cannot find Him. 10 Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.

James 1
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trial, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

1 Thessalonians 2:4
Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.


Therefore - Life is a test of our basic - soul.


And...
The next part is up to us. What do we expect of God? What we would rely upon Him for.

Jesus tells us God is our Father. He adopts John on the way to the cross and His first conversation upon Victory over Death is the adoption of Mary Magdalene.

What do we expect from our Father?

Do we truly believe ~ 'He has so many children. He can't notice me.' How is the Universe you "Created"? Does God have limits? God - your Father - called you by name - He planned your days.

Where are you headed?

Jeremiah 1:5a
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you...

Romans 12
be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect

Acts 2
you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.







Mark 16:15
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."

This is daunting. God told us more about that.

1. Baker (Genesis 40:5)
2. Cupbearer - Pharmacist, Maid, Butler, Waiter(Nehemiah 1:11; compare Genesis 40:21)
3. Cooks, moms, food workers (1 Samuel 9:23-24)
4. Fishermen (Isaiah 19:8; Matthew 4:18)
5. Hunters (Jeremiah 16:16)
6. Shepherds (Luke 2:8)
7. Farmer (Genesis 4:2)
8. Harvester (Isaiah 17:5)
9. Plower -Equipment (Psalm 129:3)
10. Judge (Luke 18:2)
11. Doctor - Health Care Luke 1
12. King (1 Samuel 8:5)
13. Governor (Genesis 42:6)
14. Government worker - Matthew
15. Deputy (Acts 13:7)
16. Centurion (Judges 9:54)
17. Scribe (Matthew 5:2)
18. Carpenter (2 Samuel 5:11)
19. Smiths (1 Samuel 13:19)
20. Merchant (Genesis 23:16)
21. Potter ( Jeremiah 18:2; Romans 9:21)

God is using people in their lives. The lives He gave us. Using conversations. God is having us develop relationships.

Surely God gives us lives, talents, people. God changes people, events, timing - for His Plan.


Develop your talent. Your voice. Your way to be in hearts for His Good. God helps us be doing His Plan, He is not the abandoning God.


Hebrews 13:
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

God will do His promises.

Luke 12:32
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

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Psalm 7 ~ Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about You; over it return on high.

Solomon his throne painting by Andreas Brugger

Psalm 7
Psalm of David

O Lord my God, in you do I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,
rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.

3 O Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is wrong in my hands,
4 if I have repaid my friend with evil
or plundered my enemy without cause,
5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
and let him trample my life to the ground
and lay my glory in the dust. Selah

6 Arise, O Lord, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;
over it return on high.

8 The Lord judges the peoples;
judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
and may you establish the righteous—
you who test the minds and hearts,
O righteous God!
10 My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
and a God who feels indignation every day.

12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;
he has bent and readied his bow;
13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
making his arrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
and is pregnant with mischief
and gives birth to lies.
15 He makes a pit, digging it out,
and falls into the hole that he has made.
16 His mischief returns upon his own head,
and on his own skull his violence descends.

17 I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.

Probably the lower painting is more real to us. David wrote the Psalms because -
1 Samuel 17:33-35
33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.

David was a brave Shepherd who believed the Family campfires stories of the wonders and Acts of God. This Shepherd turned mercenary was remembered fondly by his son, Solomon, at a significant time in a way Solomon would think of David's bravery when quick decisions were called for.

2 Chronicles 19
There were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. 19Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom.

Solomon also recorded remembering his father David in another way:

1 Kings 1
29 And the king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, 30 as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ even so will I do this day.”

32 King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. 33 And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon. 39 There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.

The Scriptures are real. The details are so uncharacteristic that only real people could do so many details this truthfully. It's heartwarming and these are the stories God tells of His Family.

Blessed are you Lord God and for giving us your son, Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

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Matthew 22:29b ~ know the Scriptures

Yesterday we discussed finding a Scripture to have your heart be encouraged in relationship with our Father God. Today, I'm standing with Edward looking at Discs for sale at the USA Master's Disc Golf Tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Master's is filled with professional men, artistic men, blue collar men, men who survived cancer, men with sons - this is a group of Very Serious athletic men who complain if they shoot a 58 on 18 holes with 35 mph winds. If you can throw a disc the size of a salad plate 425 feet with a flick - you just might be = Athletic. This is the fastest growing sport in the world. And these men are competing with some real intensity.

So the young seller of discs has not cottoned on the fact - these men are not really interested in rap music. But I'm standing there politely and the music is usually hard to understand. But very nicely, the rapper explains things happen twice, they happen twice. Suddenly I can hear the lyrics, so I stop to listen, and the grumpy guy standing next to me, but we are both listening to the music suddenly. And they lyrics suddenly say, "We all have an urgency, an urgency to Find God."

The grumpy disc golfer and I are both in amazement and stand frozen. Until the wind completely knocks over his cart and we speak without any comment on the music that we will go home and think about.

Does God get thanks? Is His job without thanks? Do we have urgency to know God - our Creator. Opening up a conversation about that is difficult.

And if we open up the conversation with. "Are the Baptists saved? What about Mormons? Catholics? Gays?" We are really dealing with not God's Salvation - where He wants to Save all people - but a way to snipe God and put Him in our Tupperware box marked "Is God fair? What about my own personal sufferings?"

Suffering - Huh - What is it Good for?
Well, frankly, that depends. Upon? What we intend to do with our sufferings! Are we going to pretend not to suffer and internally implode? Or run from the problems like they can be evaded. Or say it's the Good Ship Lollipop.

Frankly, a little quiet and consideration helps us all.

All of Scripture is about problem solving and prayer. Got a problem? Chances are very good - there are several to twenty good solutions.

If you apply the same conversation to people - they will
 a) be pleased b) be be be very bored c) might tolerate you.

Same with Scripture and problem solving. There is "Flee the devil" = "Problem Solved!" Joyfully Solved.

There is ... "be real nice all the time and people will think you are a moron." Except, who really used that philosophy well in the Bible? I know the Scriptures and can't honestly say sweet is a philosophy.

 Love is far different than sweet. Love says I will make sure the gates of hell won't prevail against you. Love says count on this like a Rock. Love says you sure are damn wrong. Next time don't try to walk on water. Sit down and have breakfast.

Is there an urgency to knowing God...
Absolutely not. Especially, if you have no problems.
If you do, and you are willing to stand before Your Maker... the Father of all of Creation.
With a little humility.
With some gratitude.
With some real expression of sorrow for what we all can do. And didn't do. And should have done.
Giving some sincere heart and honesty - you Will be received.
If you are willing to put some Thomas Jefferson effort into many pages of letters written to you,
you will discover, "Truth that sparkles like a diamond."
You will find, in these Letters, like minded people. In messy situations, seeking for something - solutions.
The old fashioned kind - the kind that require faith, time, patience and Him first.

The kind that you have to jut your jaw out to find. To be determined to find endurance, character and finally a hope that will be rewarded with "anticipated solutions."

Our Father God is like us. We are made in His image. He wants to be Thanked. Appreciated. Loved. And He wants us to expect the best in Him. If we secretly feel we are less than worthy, we might just be right! He tends to deal with that gently, when approached honestly and to say  - "Help me, Please."

Matthew 22:29b
know the Scriptures
or the power of God. ...



Matthew 4:4
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.


Got questions? "It is written!"

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Finding your Scripture ~ so the birds come and perch in its branches.

 

 

Hebrews 12:10-15

10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. 13 Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.



Psalm 138
I will give You thanks with all my heart. I will sing praises to You in front of the gods. 2 I will bow down toward Your holy house. And I will give thanks to Your name for Your loving-kindness and Your truth. For You have honored Your Word because of what Your name is. 3 You answered me on the day I called. You gave me strength in my soul.


Romans 5 tells us that suffering, or being stuck, from our Father God "produces" like a bear hunt. We look back on what we overcome with great joy and, if the problem is in the unusual range, to not eaten by lions category - we might just enjoy the novelty. Some suffering is so great, God had to write the Bible to encourage us to endure, persevere and draw sustenance from Father God. And if you look at the disciples, they had A Lot of Concerns with watching Jesus do His Father's Work. God gives us Scripture to meet us seeking Him, as actively as Peter got Jesus to help him, plunging His Hands into Peter's fear.


Ezekiel was a man of such earnest writings, the Temple made readers age to the year 30, before they could read how wild and vast and complicated were God's answers to the Children of Israel enduring generational sin, slavery, conquest, drudgery and a Very Powerful Hope. C.S. Lewis, in a typical English delight said, "God is not a Tame Lion."

Ezekiel wrote of a tree as being the greatest in the forest struck down in pride. Biblegateway.com or Google can help you locate the story. We are sometimes that tree. And we wonder if the Gospel of Matthew - the man who threw our Hero Jesus - a Party - was wrong about Heaven...

Matthew 13
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”


The tree of the photo arrived today during the USA Disc Golf Masters Tournament. This tree could be Ezekiel's tree for the towering height. And we had to stop play to fathom how this huge tree has survived this devastating lightning strike.

And the phone buzzed in an email. A dear friend has decided her time to die has arrived and in her 80th year wants prayers for Jesus to come and collect her. You do not see your 80th year without lightning. We all go at different times. Madeleine L'Engle wrote we all have an invitation to leave the planet.


Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

This dear friend was taking care of her aunt in her mid 90's just two years ago. Surviving widowhood in her 50's. Encouraging her three kids to start a Margarita business! Loving the success for them! Her son calls her everyday driving home from work. Michaelangelo of any hand made art stitched form.

The Lightning Bolt Tree tells us a Biblical story. One we can visually recall with a memory of the Master's Tournament stopping to see this Wonder. The Master gave a storm. Branches fell off. Our enduring Tree felt stripped and worried. Life continued. The Tree struggled. And looked sad and even misshapen. Life continued. The Tree must have begun to feel hope. And see a future. And today the Tree is magnificent. And the branches show struggle and Victory.

Is this a parable of Eternity? Of course, because Jesus says Heaven is at hand today. And calls His believers - not just friend, but Scriptures tell us, Jesus calls us "Beloved."

Rise and go forth, knowing the Scriptures, knowing the Power of God. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, for us all. In Jesus Christ the Lord!

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Luke 19:1-10 ~ so he ran on ahead and climbed

Luke 19:1-10

He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.

 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 

7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 

9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Luke, the beloved Greco-Syrian physician. He is in Paul's Epistle to Philemon Chapter 1, verse 24. He is also mentioned in Colossians 4:14 and 2 Timothy 4:11. He would have been a precise Christ follower. He stayed with Paul in Rome until the end. Luke lived to be, according to Church history, 84 years old. Luke's Tomb was located in Thebes (Greece)and his relics transferred to Constantinople in 357 A.D.

(And I have to say here, I love the Scriptures. Each day I look these things up and compile this to understand what I am teaching. It is not coming out of me like a PhD professor! Thank you, Father God, for spell check. Amen.)

Luke makes it clear Jesus' genealogy goes back to Adam and as a physician, makes sure we understand Jesus was bodily, not just spiritually, resurrected.  Luke tells us of 20 miracles, the place of women as important in Jesus' ministry and tells us of 4 miracles unique to Luke's gospel. Luke, like Paul, tells us the New Covenant Communion is an event we are to continue today.

A Bishop I like on Facebook (not Clark this time)  was quoting - as disciples of Jesus Christ we are the message. And I thought; Absolutely not. Jesus Is. And that is true. Yet we should not proclaim Jesus Christ and forget to live our lives as lights. Believing God wants us to honor Him and rely upon Him for grace.

Zacchaeus is a Gospel passage which is important to me.

Jesus has been doing His ministry for a while. Zacchaeus has his place in the Roman Empire, Syrian suburb of Judea firmly in place. Zacchaeus is upwardly mobile.  But Zacchaeus is doing something important with his fledgling or inquisitive faith. He is willing to put himself out there and up there and do some work. To climb a tree, in a crowd, you will be noticed.

And Zacchaeus has his heart's desire. Something Christians hope for always. Jesus! Notice me! Let me know You see me!

Jesus lets Zacchaeus know, He responds, He Loves! And says He wants to be part of Zacchaeus' life. Zacchaeus is given a Word to do. To be obedient. Zacchaeus must come down from the height of the tree and be on the same footing as the crowd. And the same footing as Jesus. Who chose to walk this life.

And the minute Zacchaeus joins the crowd.... they are unhappy. They grumble. And Zacchaeus hears them criticize Jesus for spending time with him. How does Zacchaeus react? He is willing to put forth effort, making them not criticize Jesus for giving Zacchaeus love.


Christians love the prodigal son parable. Who are you, they say,  - today - in the prodigal son. Well, we all change places, don't we.

Zacchaeus has several messages for us. Not to stay in the trees above one another. Not to stay hidden in the crowd. Not to play it safe. To give God our heart's desire. To do what He says to Honor and LOVE Him.  To prepare our hearts in prayer to receive HIM.  To be grateful. Not to be a grumbler at the blessings of others.

LORD! I want to be Zacchaeus! Luke is the only one to record Zacchaeus, but Luke stayed to the end. What an important and heartfelt statement. Luke acted as the disciple John to Paul. And the LORD honored Luke as well. Telling us of a changed heart, one that prepared a place for JESUS and did want to Honor and LOVE Him.

Psalm 14 says none of us are pure. We are corrupt, self-centered. We cannot be the message. Yet the LORD is our refuge. Father God, forgive us when we don't do our best for YOU.

Psalm 14:7
Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Father God, let us remember to be grateful for others.  Only in the Grace of JESUS CHRIST can we be glad and see salvation come to the house of the ones we love. Amen.

(Today would be one of the times ~ where Father Bierschenienk would say - I'm just preaching to myself.)

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Psalm 100 ~ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Psalm 100 For giving thanks.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!



Know that the Lord, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.


Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!


For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life. Electric word, life. It means forever and that's a mighty long time. But I'm here to tell you there's something else - the afterworld. A world of never-ending happiness. You can always see the sun, day or night. So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills, you know the one, Dr. Everything'll-Be-All-right, instead of asking him how much of your time is left, ask him how much of your mind, baby. 'Cause in this life, things are much harder than in the afterworld. This life you're on your own. And if de-elevator tries to bring you down, go crazy - punch a higher floor.


Not exactly Antoine de Saint-Exupery, however ... Give Us the Day!

Prince Rogers Nelson

Cause in this life
Things are much harder than in the afterworld
In this life,
You're on your own

And if the elevator tries to bring you down
Go crazy (Punch a higher floor! )

Woo!
If you don't like
The world you're living in
Take a look around
At least you got friends

You see I called my old lady
For a friendly word
She picked up the phone
Dropped it on the floor
(Ah-s ah-s) is all I heard

Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down?
Oh, no lets go!

Let's go crazy
Let's get nuts
Let's look for the purple banana
Until they put us in the truck, let's go!

We're all excited
But we don't know why
Maybe it's cause
We're all gonna die

And when we do (When we do)
What's it all for (What's it all for)
You better live now
Before the grim reaper come knocking on your door

Tell me, are we gonna let the elevator bring us down?
Oh, no let's go!

Let's go crazy
Let's get nuts
Look for the purple banana
Until they put us in the truck, let's go!

C'mon baby
Let's get nuts!
Yeah
(Crazy)
Let's go crazy!

Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down?
Oh, no let's go!
Go (Go crazy)

I said let's go crazy (go crazy)
Let's go (Let's go! )
Go (Let's go! )

Dr. Everything'll-Be-Alright
Will make everything go wrong
Pills and thrills and daffodils will kill
Hang tough children

He's comin'
He's comin'
Comin'

Take me away!

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Mark 4:1-20 ~ growing up and increasing

Planting a Gigantic Sequoia tree - found in humid climates with dry summers. Giant sequoia grows best in deep, well-drained sandy loams, such as drainage bottoms and meadow edges. Likes to be planted near other pine trees. When the trees are young they prefer some shade, later in life, they are shade intolerant. Cones bearing fertile seeds observed on trees as young as 10, the usual age is 20 years. Large cone crops of reproductive maturity don't appear before 150 or 200 years. Trees grow an average 1.6 to 2.3 ft per year in height. At age 50, they are significantly taller than other fir trees!

A Gigantic Sequoia is fairly commonly sold in the nursery business. It sometimes grows in the boles of dead or removed trees. Mature trees provide a visual centerpiece for a large landscaped area. Recommend planting a giant sequoia in areas with abundant horizontal and vertical space! Such as parks, campuses, or large yards. Large enough open spaces to provide ample growing room for this species.

Mark 4   ~Revised Standard Version

Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.

[2] And he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: [3] "Listen! A sower went out to sow. [4] And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. [5] Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; [6] and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. [7] Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. [8] And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." [9] And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

[10]
And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables.

[11] And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; [12] so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven." [13] And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? [14] The sower sows the word. [15] And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. [16] And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; [17] and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. [18] And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, [19] but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. [20] But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

Seeing the sky, mountains or the ocean and we are reminded of the vastness of God. God has created us as His children to be part of something so loving, so much more powerful than we can take in.

Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

We are like the seeds in today's Scripture. Planted in one place and doing our best with the seeds planted around us. As we journey through path times of famine, good & joyful times, rocky times, times of tribulation & persecution, cares of the world, delight in riches, desire for other things, acceptance and fruitfulness. We rub again the others around us in their journey.

1 Corinthians 13 is the great chapter of love, reminding us love always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I remember the shock of being rounded up and criticized by my group of friends at 6 years old. We are a lot like the trees in the forest, needing right amounts of light, shade - rest, food and water. Part of life is learning what criticism is healthy and what is simply a tree crowding into the light. With God's love, we bloom where we are planted. As an extreme example, seeing that without God's love, we can become bitter, bent and contorted. Like the bullied boys of Columbine High School, contorting and grotesquely bending. Sometimes we are so occupied by the people around us, we forget to look up and remember God is greater than people and circumstance.

With God, we know we are far more important that seeds, or trees, or just another human cog.
God says He is not a god of the dead. He is God of the Living. In giving us His son, He invites us to His eternal Kingdom, not lasting like the Sequoia, but giving us His Love into Eternity.

"He who has ears, let him hear."

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Psalm 30 ~ You have turned for me my mourning into dancing

Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Stained Glass is sand pummeled, beaten, stained, fired, beautifully & diligently made to the glory of God.

Psalm 30

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
² O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
³ O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

⁴ Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
⁵ For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.

⁶ As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
⁷ By your favor, O Lord,
you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.

⁸ To you, O Lord, I cry,
and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
⁹ “What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
¹⁰ Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me!
O Lord, be my helper!”

¹¹ You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
¹² that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

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


This weekend the movie "Heaven is For Real" was very seen and discussed.

Isaiah tells us this about Jesus:
Isaiah 53:2
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

Isaiah was telling us of Jesus being in such suffering that He asked His Father to take the cup of suffering, if possible, away from Him.

Jesus was not announced as unattractive.

Luke 2:52
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.


There are so many pictures of Jesus - it's interesting the old, old Christian art (before the 5th century) the Vatican holds of Jesus is a man who looks very much like the Shroud of Turin. Rather a long face, long nose. An elegant face. And remembering Scripture, Psalm 13 and Mark 6:23, Jesus' eyes were filled with light, a beautiful soul light. Reports of Jesus' burial cloth and a facial shroud appear all over history, but not in any concrete fashion until about 1200 A.D.


3 D image of the Shroud. The Shroud had the unique ability to have such differences in depth, it allows 3D images to be mapped.
This cloth, the Manipello Image, is made of byssus, from sea shells and no alive today understands how it was made. Byssus cannot be dyed or painted upon.

And this is from the catacombs of Rome and predates the 4th century.


Regardless of what you think today about the art -  Jesus did choose to be part of this life. Loving the people around him. Choosing beautiful Capernaum, on the shores of Galilee, to live. To Love.


2 Peter 1:21
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.


Colton was asked what Jesus looked like - he picked the painting done by Akiane Kramarik. What are the possible reasons for the differences.

One - God lets us relate to Jesus in our own images.

I like this one of Jesus in Capernaum in the midst of His Life.

1 Corinthians 15:52
in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

Jesus was not recognized easily when He returned Triumphant - we will be given new physical bodies the Scriptures say. Actually, I think there is a resemblance of facial shape between the 4th century images and this.

Two children had unique and wondrous experiences of Jesus - who are we to say they did not? I doubt God is ever displeased when we wonder with love about Him. 

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2 Timothy 1:10 ~ Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

2 Timothy 1:10
It has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

John 21
9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”

24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

Matthew 28

And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

1 Corinthians 15:6
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

Acts of Apostles - Chapter 1
In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

1 Corinthians 15:7-8
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

James 5:20
You can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.


2 Timothy 1:10
Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

1 John 4:19
We love because God first loved us!


Thank you Father God for Your Son, Jesus. 

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