Acts 1 ~ who He has chosen

 

Mount of Olives

Acts 1

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.”

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 

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.” 

9 And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, 

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? 

This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, 

will come in the same way as you saw Him go into Heaven.”

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 

13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

There isn't another day like Ascension. Moses put Joshua in charge. God revealed Himself through them, largely. 

This is the beginning of the Light of Jesus Christ in mankind.

The day is probably cloudy. Fitting, the Disciples were worriers and they were confused. And God knew they would have ministries following the Son of God to change the world.

The exact day, Ascension, the Light of the world and Light of mankind are seen as equipped to continue in Jesus Christ in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is not absent. He is present and gives comfort and guidance, while still saying these New Ministries don't have to have all the answers. We can Trust God to Do and Provide and Maintain and Comfort God's Works. 

2 Timothy 3 14-16

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 

that the man of God may be complete, 

equipped for every good work.

The Scriptures are real. Jesus isn't riding out of town in the sunset. 

Jesus is going to the Heavens in the clouds. We find in Scripture, Heaven has clouds. We find Jesus is partially obscured in leaving, but He is saying even if they feel obscurely informed, and want to know more specifics - instead Jesus is saying that in the unknowing Jesus is fully in charge and His Will is accomplished.

Not a coincidence, the clouds and the question of knowledge and clarity. Jesus is still teaching, working and alive!

The Scriptures are alive. We feel like we see through a mirror dimly in these matters of faith. By the Plan of God. Faith is unseen. Walking by faith. Since the Huge Day of Ascension. Great is the Mystery of Faith. A day to God is thousands of years. Today, the Disciples have seen Jesus. Today, they learn they won't have all the answers. A Huge Responsibility is on God now. Today the Disciples are trusted with the Salvation of the world for many, many generations. 

Abba, Father God,

Find our souls to be worthy of You dwelling in us.

Help us to seek You first.

Bless our families with Love and Peace.

Encourage us in Your Plan daily, please, in Jesus Christ.

John 17:20 

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 

 John 17:6 

I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your Word.

To be filled with Your Love, and see Your Glory.

The Wonders of Your Way.

 Your Scriptures and in Your Power, every one of us will bow at the Name of Jesus.

Jesus, You appeared in the Power of the Grace of God offering Salvation to us all.

 In every Nation. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 

And this is Your free gift to us.

Father, even on Father's Day

You want all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 

Faith calls us to Trust in You.

You have planned eternal life, we will know You the only true God, 

and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

We have a hope in You, there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. 

Freedom in Jesus. 

Father God will render to each one of us according to our life, choices and faith. 

You will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will not be Heaven.

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven 

given higher than Jesus.

We pray as we face eternity we have told with great effect the name of Jesus - that our families in Heaven not only include our blood families - but include the nobility - the true nobility is those who look to Father God knowing He Loves us. And we will be for us in Jesus Christ.

 We pray for our Nation.

We pray for the healing of God's Good Creation after the Pandemic.

We pray for our families to have Peace.

And pray for Elliott to heal.

Thank You, Father God,

Texas has not flooded with only smaller rains than we thought.

Please continue with Your Mercy!!!

 For healing and for guidance we ask 

in Jesus. 

Amen.

Matthew 4:19 "

“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Daniel 4:3

How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! 

His kingdom is an eternal kingdom

Isaiah 49:8

This is what the LORD says: "In the time of my favor I will answer you, 

and in the day of salvation I will help you; 

I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, 

to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances"

Isaiah 49:10

They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat 

or the sun beat down on them. 

He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them

 beside springs of water.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †

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John 15:1-17

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 

2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 

 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. 

No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain

 in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 

6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, 

ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 

10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, 

just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 

11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 

12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 

13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. 

Instead, I have called you friends, 

for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 

This is my command: Love each other. 

There is no doubt. This has been the most unusual set of years. 

We have been 440 miles 16 times to help my mother transition to Memory Care, Monticello and sell her house and settle her belongings. My mother and I do not discuss her home or belongings. Considering the extent of her collections, I find this to be where I lean into what she wants to discuss. So far, no discussion. Really, no one would want to bring up just about 88 years of collecting without permission, to have peace and joy.

There is no doubt this last week was the most attitude descending and ascending of the entire set of months and weeks. We went to Dallas 3 times in a week and a half. My mother-in-law is about to be 88 years old, same as my mother, at the end of the summer. And both are suffering from Dementia. My mother would be living the joy and conversations of wine, martini, smoking, smoking and happy prescription pill finder. My mother-in-law would be bradycardia heart conditions for 30 years without chocolate and caffeine.  

We brought my very elegant and fun mother-in-law home for the family to move her belongings to Memory Care as well. Her doctor has issued a Doctor's Order for her to be in full-time care due to inability, related to aging. We love to have my mother-in-law visit because we realize, again, when we try and sit up straighter, straighten up life a little more diligently and have a higher calling, we have just more than an armload of Joyeaux de Vivre.  We have loved all the 36 years of visits.  And as we wanted the weekend to be very memorably enjoyable, we were thrilled when our youngest son brought his two adult-owned, Siberian Huskies over.

The photo turned out to be unusual, for a post-pandemic doux mother summer. 

Father, Bless both our mothers with Your complete and filling Love and mercy. In Jesus, Amen.

The sun is beginning to become evening, and the last rays caught the hallway chandelier and bounced off the dining room chandelier.  About right for the day. 

Alexander is entering into the adult phase of doggies before children. He is bringing his adult life to see his grandmother and meet the 8-week-old puppies. Gran's dog is going home forever with his dog camp counselor for all the years of day dog camp he had to have exercise. The puppies come in and meet him for the first and last time. Gran's beautiful lab leaves them his beloved Snoopy.

Alexander had a new car given to him by my mother-in-law, when he graduated from Baylor and later LSU. The joy in both that great day, was a world-class memory made! And this week, someone hit Alexander in the median, near his apartment. Lord Jesus, we pray this car to recover and still provide such joy. We ask in the Highest Name of Jesus. Amen.

My mother had to go by ambulance, before Hospice, to see her Pulmonary Specialist. And she moved her hands and head as if she was Cleopatra, giving the wave. And her attitude was about as warm as the Nile Queen, to the couple, who drove 6 hours many weeks to attend this situation. Her friends and family have waned due to this since 2013.

Dementia is not tea and cookies.

My mother-in-law has lost the ability to call by name some of her children, and doesn't recognize some grandchildren. She doesn't know where she is as she drives. And in this loss, due to age, she will ask why someone moved into her master bedroom and caused her to work all night to move out her things. And why there was a secret party, leaving all the dishes. Asking, who is that person. And why her things have been stolen.  There wasn't a party and no belongings were moved and nothing is missing.

Now the good news.

Both of our mothers have entered into Memory Care as if it is a walk in the park. In fact, we got a phone call asking if my mother's transition could have some joy for everyone going into Memory Care.  Mother paid for Long-Term Insurance for 24 years. To be with health professionals when the time came for calm, morphine and oxygen.  It's the Plan, Stan.

The further good news.

Not everyone will have this happen to them. Today! This top of the Blog photo arrived in my lap from the internet. Surprise !!!!!!!! The top photo is my paternal Grandmother Bit's front porch in Oxford, Mississippi. That is her chair and her urns and she might just come out in a minute and sit for a few minutes, if this was 1986. Or Heaven. We might talk about the blue color and how you find the blue to repeat the right blue porch ceiling. You rid yourself of bees and wasps that way.

I had a good cry for all the changes. It's actually the first one in a few weeks. And it felt good to remember Grandmother Bit and all her good sense, until she passed on. And Grandmother Anita, age 94. There is hope. Father God, in Jesus, we pray to end well. To be of active service to You, until the day we enter Heaven. We pray to have Enoch's blessing. To have the Blessing of Your Disciple, John. In Jesus, to finish well. Amen.

And I thought about being sheltered under God's Tree, Jesus liked to tell us about this Heavenly Tree as an analogy of Heaven. We really have the same as one another, we have today. We can enjoy what today brings us.

Rain or shine

 we are part of His Goodness.

We have had several huge wasp things.

They call pals to back each other up when we spray them. My sons kid me and say, that's a dragonfly. No, dragonflies don't sting. Today, as I swam and thought about God's Vine, God's Shelter, God's Heaven, I saw a dragonfly perched during my swim on one of the glasses in the garden. A blue one seeming to enjoy the garden. I love dragonflies and this was a blue one.

Perfect. Love the blue dragonflies. And today, I'd seen Grandmother's Porch. Complete with the anti-bug blue, perfect blue, ceiling.

And as I spoke on the phone, this landed in the water beside me......

It's as long as your little finger, or mine. And after years of telling my adult sons about Godzilla wasp, here it is. Complete with the proof of the sweet blue dragonfly, giving me the time to take a photo of it after my swim. How perfect. A wonderful, Heavenly photo of my Grandmother Bit's front porch with perfect blue ceiling. And the two insects I could - Finally - text my sons. 

I've even called the Texas A&M Extension Service to try and figure out what it is. And talking on the phone in the pool, plop, it landed and now is in a giant jar.

The time and seasons of God's Timing and Provision. His Own. 

Abba holds us in His Hand. And Abba gives us a view from under His Branches.

Abba, Father God, 

Cover us with Jesus Living in us. Dwelling. Help us to seek You First.

 Protect us from all evil. Fulfill Your purpose in our lives. Thank You for praying parents. 

Through Jesus Christ we are Overcomers, only in Jesus Christ are we truly free. 

Guide us in Wisdom, Cover us in Your Love, Seal us in Your Mercy, Forgive our Sins,

Keep us on Your Path and in Your Plan.

Bless our Nation with Goodness to Overcome the Pandemic.

Bless the earth, Your Good Creation.

In Your Great Love let us bring forth Love to the others around us.

Father God reconcile us with Joy to Your Love and Your Plan.

For ourselves, our family, our friends, our neighbors, our Church, 

our co-workers, our State 

and Our Nation shining to all those who believe the Highest Name of Jesus.

Amen. Amen Amen Amen. In Jesus Christ, Wonderful, we have the Alleluia.

Thank YOU, Lord Jesus Saves

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †  

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Hebrews 4:16 ~ draw near

 

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.

As we enter Heaven, we would probably find we enter Heaven with people with words and dress of our earthly era. Not always, sometimes the Bible says we sleep for 1,000 years.  Yet as we enter Heaven, we are going to find 7 levels of Heaven according to Paul. This would take in the Nations and Nations Revelation says make up Heaven, too many to count. And we would find different eras and cultures. Music we have never encountered before. Heaven!

Revelation 7:9 

 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude 

that no one could number, 

from every nation, 

from all tribes and peoples and languages, 

standing before the throne and before the Lamb, 

clothed in white robes, 

with palm branches in their hands 

Zechariah 8:5

And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls at play.

Isaiah 44:3

I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground,

I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed

and My Blessing upon thine offspring.

Psalm 107 

  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.

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!

Revelation 22:1

Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal,

flowing from the throne of God

and of the Lamb, Christ.

Isaiah 49

Saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’

    to those who are in darkness, ‘Appear.’

They shall feed along the ways;

    on all bare heights shall be their pasture;

10 they shall not hunger or thirst,

    neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,

for he who has pity on them will lead them,

    and by springs of water will guide them.

11 And I will make all my mountains a road,

    and my highways shall be raised up.

12 Behold, these shall come from afar,

    and behold, these from the north and from the west,

    and these from the land of Syene.”

13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;

    break forth, O mountains, into singing!

For the Lord has comforted his people

    and will have compassion on his afflicted.

Isaiah 19:23 

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. 

The Assyrians will go to Egypt, 

and the Egyptians to Assyria. 

The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.

Psalm 46:4

There is a river whose streams delight the city of God,

the Holy Place

where the Most High Dwells.

 

 Ezekiel 47:1 

Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 

 Zechariah 14:8 

And on that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Sea and the other half toward the Western Sea, 

in summer and winter alike.

1 Corinthians 3:16 

Do you not know that you yourselves are God's temple 

and that God's Spirit 

dwells in your midst?

Abba, Father God,

Thank You for Jesus.

Help us to always seek You first.

Dwell in us Daily. Know every aspect of our Being.

We ask Your Willing Blessings for us

and for those we Love to be

part of Your Love and Encouragement in Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the Highest Name of Jesus.

You desire to save the world in Jesus Christ.

We lift up our Nation to You for Your Mercy and Help.

Blessings upon this Nation in Jesus, we pray.

We ask to see more of Heaven on earth 

and pray for Your Good Creation.

Bless those we Love.

Bless our families.

Thank You for Hearing our Prayers. 

We thank You for our Blessings.

Peace. Better than the riots from last year.

We pray for those who are so concerned and not saying.

We ask Your mercy upon the dying. My mother.

We pray for families to find wisdom and Love in encouragement

and the discussions we need to know one another. 

Help families strengthen one another.

Bless our efforts to

communicate.

We pray You Reign over the Changes of Life

we do not control and ask Your Capable Love upon these days.

Your Mercy and Willing Help. Comfort. Comforter.

Bless Elliott with Healing.

In the Most Loving, Most Capable,

Highest Name of Jesus we pray, Amen!

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