Mark 9 ~ Jesus asked his father

Sea of Galilee, by Judy Shoemaker

Mark 9

1 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one [no cloth refiner] on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; [my beloved] listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

14 And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. 15 And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. 16 And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. 18 And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” 19 And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out [with tears] and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” 26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” [with fasting]

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. Who Is the Greatest?

33 And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, [who does not follow us] and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, [to stumble] it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. [and every sacrifice will be salted with salt] 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Salt and Light. Sounds like a good potato chip. Kind of friendly.

When we think of someone being salty, we think of someone being larger than life. Loud, exuberant. Auntie Mame, Popeye.

Then again when we think of biblical salt, there is Lot's wife looking back and becoming a pillar of salt.... not a desirable state.

Salt and pop culture go hand and hand. Salt looses it's flavor when exposed to the air. It becomes stale, tasteless and isn't even good fertilizer or pesticide. What we become when we soak in pop culture without a discerning heart.

Salt wasn't unavailable at any time in Israel. Without salt, one could die in the desert of Judea without some travel planning and having some salt. Without salt, food is flavorless. No one would want to eat salt by itself. No one enjoys having religious talk, religious ideas crammed down their throat.


Let's look at Jesus asking the father of the boy ill with a demon, “How long has this been happening to him?” Recently, in another reading for Scripture for Today Blogspot, we talked about Jesus not being recorded as being a huge conversationalist. Yet Jesus is Love. Jesus is not looking for data. Jesus is not looking for a long debate with the father. Jesus is making contact with this man. Jesus is not browbeating him, He is opening up the conversation. Jesus is hip deep in an emotional experience Himself, returning to the grind of all too human disciples. Jesus is taking time with someone looking to Him. Jesus is opening up the man's choices in his thoughts of God. Jesus is being Himself, there aren't any basketball moves where the hips have to be watched to understand where He is going. Jesus is getting to the point. Jesus teaches us to live at peace with one another in this whole passage.

Read the passage once more, Jesus is teaching us salt and light - to live at peace with one another. Jesus did not live in a peaceful world and His words were not always soothing. It is like Psalm 23, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Jesus forgave everyone from the cross; goodness and mercy was not always given to Jesus, but goodness and mercy were the grace upon grace He gave us.

Blessed be the children of God, Jesus. Help us to be Your creation of salt and light. Protect us from the root of bitterness within us when goodness and mercy do not come our way in life. Let our words be seasoned with the salt of Your Healing and Your wisdom. We always ask for Your help. In the name of Jesus. The highest name of Jesus, Abba. Amen.

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Psalm 134 ~ may the Lord bless you from Zion

Psalm 134

1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord!

3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!



1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.



1 Thessalonians 4:13-16
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

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John 16:1-15 ~ they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me

Model of the White Synagogue in Capernaum built upon the Temple Jesus preached in. Some of the other ruins are Peter's house, the house that became the first Christian Church. A modern Franciscan church has been built over the earlier remains.

Contrary to some modern opinion of Peter, his family was the wealthiest in Capernaum - owning a fleet of fishing ships. Peter would be raised to be very literate. Peter's house was quite large, the largest in Capernaum, filled with beautiful things. Including more expensive plaster walls remaining today.

The Model in the photo is from Mini Israel in Latrun, Israel. The photo is just a touch dorky. Exhibited in it are hundreds of exact models, at a scale of 1:25, of the most important architectural, historic, archeological, religious and social sites as well as buildings of importance to all religions and cultures inhabiting the country.

John 16:1-15

1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

God told me there would be days like this. Who would be encouraged by this? Not the disciples. Jesus wanted to tell them things of heaven, but they "could not bear them now." The things of earth frightened them too much. Jesus, like Moses, came down from the mountain having seen God in the transfiguration. Like Moses, Jesus was met with disciples not doing the work. Men who could not heal with Jesus' name. Unlike the giver of the law, Moses, Jesus shows them more love and more prayer is needed. Jesus was a man of faith in dealing with the disciples. These men squabbled for position, pushed children away because Jesus was too busy and grumbled when Jesus was given expensive perfume for his hair.

These 11 men hiding behind a locked door, fearing the authorities.... were not going to lead people to the saving love of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:18
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.

Then the unthinkable happened. Acts 2. Hurricane wind, fire in the air. The disciples had seen huge wind before. It left them wondering why Jesus could command the wind, the evening of the huge storm on the Sea of Galilee. Fire - they had heard about it & asked Jesus once to send fire and burn up their detractors like Elijah had done. Was Jesus tempted to send fire to the disciples instead? He was fully human. I wonder if He smiled before replying. Fortunate disciples for the mercy of Jesus.

This time the fire was different.

John 1:9
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

Today we are surprised to learn that the disciples and multitudes of people used the 2nd Temple as their base of operations in Acts 5. Human beings would typically feel empowered by this and start planning to move their belongings in. Where to put the office - the Porch of Solomon or the Court of Gentiles? The disciples were not surprised the persecution was coming.

God told us there would be days like this.

Hebrews 11:33-40

who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Proverbs 24 ~ lest the Lord see it

Solomon Sacrificing to Idols. Sébastien Bourdon (1646-47) was also a prolific history painter. Louvre. 1 Kings 11:8-10

Proverbs 24

1 Be not envious of evil men,
nor desire to be with them,
2 for their hearts devise violence,
and their lips talk of trouble.

3 By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
4 by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.
5 A wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
6 for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
7 Wisdom is too high for a fool;
in the gate he does not open his mouth.

8 Whoever plans to do evil
will be called a schemer.
9 The devising [scheming] of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.

10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?

13 My son, eat honey, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, there will be a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.

15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
do no violence to his home;
16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
18 lest the Lord see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.

19 Fret not yourself because of evildoers,
and be not envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, fear the Lord and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise,
22 for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

23 These also are sayings of the wise.

Partiality in judging is not good.
24 Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”
will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
25 but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
and a good blessing will come upon them.
26 Whoever gives an honest answer
kisses the lips.

27 Prepare your work outside;
get everything ready for yourself in the field,
and after that build your house.

28 Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
29 Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

30 I passed by the field of a sluggard,
by the vineyard of a man lacking sense,
31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.

Envy, desire, violence, trouble, evil, war, victory, fool, adversity, sloth, poverty - Perfect words for the tabloids at the grocery store check out.

This week I've signed Hospice papers for my 94 year old cousin, she is semi-comatose. My cousin is my ward, I have been her legal guardian for 10.5 years due to many strokes she has had. Well of course, Hospice, we are all civilized. On television this would be easy, it is not and the people around react to it. 3 doctors have told us this is the end of life. As I signed the papers, I realized I would want the same considerations for myself. So this is the fulfilling of Jesus' command to love one another . It provokes reactions for all the family & people involved with Maxine. It is both great and unfortunate this is not an easy thing. Scripture for Today Blogspot does not seek to be about me and my life, but death is something we all encounter in our end and around us in the people we love.

What a turbulent week this is. Proverbs suits it just fine. Proverbs is uncomfortable. We had a Bible Study years ago, we were supposed to read aloud several of the Proverbs verses, then change readers, in order, and by chapter. By the end of the reading of a couple of chapters, some people were truly miffed. Which is precisely why Scripture finds itself - in each generation - in a perpetual game of disdain, rejection, ignorance, study, love, adoration, and fascination. And this has gone on for 3,000 years.

I read Proverbs 24 and it pinches. On different days, I will be pinched in different aspects. Is God pleased with my sins showing up? No, He is a Holy and Righteous God. Not that signing the papers for Hospice was a sin, but it makes one mindful of who they are. Thanks be to God, for Jesus Christ. I do not have to live in an unforgiven state. In my weakness, God is strong. Paul said God intertwines all things for His glory and for good. Life is anticipation just what adventure He will provide.

Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Who has felt this?

Romans 7:24-25a
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Paul, one of the writers of the New Testament.

We experience trauma in life and wonder if God has suddenly found our secret selfishness leading into sin. We have wonder if cancer, if death, if divorce, if bankruptcy of if job loss is a direct result of our sin from a vengeful God. The answer is clear. Jesus took our sin from us, at one time, on the cross. Trouble will come in life, sometimes we earn it. Neglect our spouse, we are left. Other times, trouble finds us. We live in God's plan, with joy, knowing God does not provide circumstance to merely grieve us.

I am grateful for the pinch of Proverbs 24. I am not left to wonder what God thinks from on high and from far away, as an absent landlord - Deist philosophy. Instead, we have God who writes to us, what He says is not brushed away as a remark merely to overcome. Not an opinion to think upon and decide for ourselves. The sting of Scripture is that of our Father, parenting us. No loving Father leaves His children without direction. The response is up to us. Solomon experienced God, but wanted God to speak to Him in a manner Solomon chose. If Solomon is to be remembered for his wisdom, it is Solomon's return to God's plan as he looks for real meaning in his life, not just temporal values.

God chose to live with us and chooses so today.

John 1:14,16
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

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Psalm 100 ~ come into His presence with singing

Psalm 100

1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his; [and not we ourselves]
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

There are some Sundays we go into Church and I do not feel like being there. I have things on my mind that feel more present than God. There have been a few times in my life I've contemplated going home, once I actually did. You know, it didn't help. Getting to focus solely on myself wasn't what I really needed. Being a Christian, loving FatherGod helps me remember what is important. Thank God, literally, for the ability to look up. To worship Someone Greater than myself and to realize I am not in charge of it all.

Today has been a sad day. Family has gathered to see Maxine and say good-bye. Family get togethers over death aren't always pleasant. The aspect of death, Hospice, papers and decisions reminds me of parts of the Old Testament were death & fear can be pretty brutal. Life moves along pretty easily for this generation with antibiotics & miracle drugs, but the end of life can be graphic.

Thank you, God, Maxine lives in an era of people using pain relievers. Thank you, God, for the positive aspect of dementia, there is no fear in Maxine. Thank you, God, for the family who are helpful. For people who want to remember the love and want to come see someone who has lived with dementia for 10 years, even when she was unable to have a conversation. Thank you, God, for Your Word, not the sugar coating of the good ship lollipop, but the way we must face death is serious. I am grateful for Jesus Christ mourning with Mary and Martha over Lazarus, before the resurrection. Thank You for the images of death You give us telling us this is not surprising. Mostly, FatherGod, thank you for the Good News telling us we can look up. We can look up in hope. Death is a reason to remember we will come into Your presence with singing.

Please remember to pray for 94 year old Maxine as she comes into God's Kingdom.

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Psalm 24:1 ~ The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it

Psalm 24

¹ The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it

Please pray for my cousin Maxine today. She is 94 years old and has been diagnosed as being in extremis.

Come, Lord Jesus, be with Maxine, her need is great. Amen.

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Psalm 128 ~ May you see your children's children! Peace be upon Israel!

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


Psalm 128 ~ Revised Standard Version

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

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

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

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

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

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

This Psalm of God's always fills me with hope and raises me up. I like it more & more as I grow older, when I was younger I expected all the bounty and blessings of God, without a lot of real prayer. Not only is it a Psalm about Heaven, where the best is yet to be, but it is the promises of the Lord's goodness for this life.

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

I try to picture heaven & my limited vision gives perhaps a tiny glimpse. This Easter I was blessed to receive a Jacquie Lawson card, wow, it was what I think of. If you've ever seen the movie "Places in the Heart", 1984, it won 2 Oscars? Fabulous ending scene in the Church over Communion. If you are looking for a quiet Saturday afternoon, watchlastmovies.com has "Places in the Heart." Norton says the site is safe.

Blessings to you this Saturday.



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Psalm 96 ~ declare His glory among the nations

Psalm 96

1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; [or holy attire]
tremble before him, all the earth!

10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.


Please pray for my cousin Maxine, she is 94. My grandmother's family was quite large & generations are all spread apart, Maxine is almost 50 years older than I am. Maxine is my mother's first cousin and she is my legal ward. Maxine & her husband lived in Los Angeles, in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, for a number of years. Her husband worked in the television company producing the Lone Ranger and Lassie TV programs.

Maxine has me for her guardian because she has severe dementia & lives in a dementia facility. She had a number of strokes, 10 years ago. And she never had children. Maxine is in the hospital tonight for dementia related illness. It is not supposed to be life-threatening, but she has done what her mother and my grandmother did, she has shrunk a foot and now weights about 80 lbs at exactly four feet. She is quite frail.

Christians are sometimes set apart because we look at circumstance and wonder if it is the work of the Lord. When Maxine was 90, she became very unresponsive. We examined why there was suddenly no speech, her responsiveness was like pushing a large rock up a steep hill. It turns out she was being given too much medicine and it had covered up another large stroke. Maxine began having physical rehabilitation sessions and she went from needing minimum add'l care to maximum. Maxine, the doctors concluded, had become institutionalized and to move her into a different facility would kill her, so she needed a sitter to prompt her more to participate in the dementia facility. But her speech had been removed and she now merely made one noise.

At Christmas, Maxine had been with the sitter for about 7 months, she was almost 91 & walking again. Her speech had not recovered. Our Church asked everyone to bring a cross to hang on the wall of our new Church building. I found a beautiful crucifix, Jesus looked as He had just asked the Lord to forgive His people. I just couldn't give it to the Church, I felt Maxine needed the cross to look down on her bed. So, at Christmas, I put the cross were Jesus would look down at Maxine. As I did, I said a prayer that I had done what I thought FatherGod wanted and would He use this symbol, & the action I had completed, I felt was prompted to prayer, to bless Maxine's sleep, her safety and bring her to know the Lord's love in a fulfilling relationship, to know the comfort of His salvation. Maxine had been angry with God as a child, she felt the Lord took too much of Aunt Eloise (her mother's) attention and work. According to Maxine, the rend had never completely healed between the Lord and Maxine & Maxine didn't feel there is any heaven.

Later in the year, in the spring, I was sitting with Maxine. A year since the last stroke, I really didn't expect to hear anything back. I told her she had on a beautiful blue dress and it matched her eyes, she still has beautiful blue eyes. I told her she was the only one in the family with eyes as blue as the sky. The next moment, I was sitting with my mouth open. I couldn't even speak. My 91 year old cousin told me she did think it was a pretty dress and she was pleased to have pretty dresses that are fancy in her closet. She leaned over to tap my ring and said she liked it. Maxine had not been able to say that kind of sentence since 1996, about 10 years prior. I think I was rude enough to sputter, "Maxine you are talking! Saying things!" No, it was not clear as a bell, but I understood her perfectly.

I called the sitter & Katherine said, "Yeah, Maxine is talking again! Some days she has a lot to say and some days she doesn't say too much at all!" Yes, Maxine is significantly happier to have Katherine, who is there just for her every day. But my 91 year old cousin never had speech rehabilitation. I don't know if it was the chicken or the egg first, but Maxine regained her speech and picked up ground to be able to, not just repeat phrases, but to express her thought. This just must be from God. How many people recover that much in their 90's? Maybe speech, but Maxine was able now to express her clear thought.

Maxine is 94 now. Because of the need for a guardian, every year a social worker comes in & checks on Maxine's environment, in an unannounced visit. On Tuesday, Maxine's social worker got to hear Maxine communicate. Now, the answers are more rote and not actual conversation, but Maxine was still able.

Father God, please be with Maxine. I remember cartoons I shared with her when I was a child & the garden walks we took. I remember Maxine to have retained her delight in Your creations. Look at Maxine with mercy, these years she has remained on this earth, are Your years. Please remember the kindnesses she has shown us. Father, when it is time for Maxine to go home to You, let it be so peacefully. Like the Camellia my grandmother and Aunt Eloise prayed about. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

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Acts 5:12-16 ~ multitudes

Today in Jerusalem, this is a model of the 2nd Temple with a close-up of Solomon's Porch.






Acts 5:12-16 ~ American Standard Version

And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. But of the rest durst no man join himself to them: howbeit the people magnified them; and believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of them and women; insomuch that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that, as Peter came by, at the least his shadow might overshadow some one of them. And there also came together the multitudes from the cities round about Jerusalem, bring sick folk, and them that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

Quite a change. From hiding behind locked doors, the disciples are preaching Jesus Christ the Savior in the 36 acres of the Temple Court.

John 20:19-20
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

The Pharisees are having a bad week. That pesky Jesus didn't just disappear, instead multitudes have come... not to the Sea of Galilee, or the wilderness, but to the Temple to hear more about Jesus. Those annoying miracles and signs haven't stopped either. Some of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council for the Temple, want to go over and hear too.

Ian Wilson's book, "The Historical Jesus" tells of a letter from the first century Anno Domino. This famous letter - Rabbi Lyracathra, of Lystra, Israel, writes he cannot keep the Jews from being interested in the multitudes of healings done in Jesus' name, after the man has died. He wonders how Judiasm will continue when these signs cannot be contained. Yes, these are hard times, the miracles just keep coming.

Thanks be to God. Thank You for Your steadfast love and Your miracles You give us in the highest name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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1 Samuel 9 ~ behold

The tomb of Samuel has not been proven archaeologically to be Samuel's. One of the historical proof's would be Judas Maccabeus, in 167 B.C., honored the site as Samuel's tomb. In 1 Samuel 25, Samuel was buried at his house in Ramah. Today Nebi Samuel and the surrounding archeological excavations are now part of a National Park. Samuel's house was also where Saul went to meet him for the first time.

1 Samuel 9

1 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.

3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” 4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.

5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 6 But he said to him, “Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” 7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” 8 The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today's “prophet” was formerly called a seer.) 10 And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.

11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?” 12 They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.” 14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.

15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.” 18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” 19 Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. 20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?” 21 Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?”

22 Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.’” 24 So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.”

So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul [and he spoke with Saul] on the roof, and he lay down to sleep. 26 Then at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.

27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.”

Behold is a word we don't hear enough. The ability not just to hear & see, but to observe and reason. Life moves faster and faster. My oldest son was fortunate to go to a very privileged school when he was young; we routinely received school messages from the principal, or the priest, or guidance counselor saying it is wonderful to have all types of lessons & athletic competitions, but every child really learns from having time to themselves. We need to have time to discover for ourselves our...soul. When you read this passage of Saul do you rush through it because Saul didn't turn out to fulfill his potential? Handsome, wealthy, tall, considerate of his father, polite, diligent for the needs of his family, faithful and humble. I really had forgotten Saul had so many blessings. Proverbs 14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. Saul begins by being welcomed by Samuel, prophet of God, and Saul recognized the greatness of the honor. Of all Saul's attributes, the most important, Saul understands to seek direction from God. By Samuel 15 (notice the Scriptures do not have a book of Saul) the Lord is replacing Saul, Saul transferred his respect for God to the ability to make fast decisions for himself. Saul began to honor all of his own decisions as wise. God does not treat Saul with perpetual disfavor, not in the beginning of Saul & not at the end. We may rush through the biblical chapters of Saul, but even Samuel cared for Saul and mourned his trouble. Saul may have made a hash of it all, even murdering the priests for doing God's will. At the end of Saul's life, Samuel tells Saul he will be with him. God knew and saw all of Saul's life; as we would recall a movie we have already seen. Saul did not do well all of his days, yet the Lord lived with Saul in Saul's heart, knowing his joy and his bitterness. The Lord was far from being a stranger to Saul - in potential, in victory, in defeat and in death. The Lord loved Saul and gave us his life as lesson to remember to seek the Lord and realize He is close to us, even when we feel invincible, overwhelmed, un-blessed, and pressed for a decision. If the Lord never abandoned Saul, even if Saul felt forsaken - just as Jesus cried out- He will never forsake you. Matthew 28:18-20 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.” <><

Psalm 114 ~ who turns

Pre-Communion Prayer: "Just say the word, Lord, & I shall be healed"

Psalm 114

1 When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.

3 The sea looked and fled;
Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.

5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.

The people of Judah, or Judea, expected the Messiah to be like Moses. Just like today, we pray and expect God to give us what we want. A little bit like Abraham deciding to take God's will into his own terms, and Ishmael was born. Abraham believed he was right to act for God, he'd been promised and it seemed nothing was happening in Abraham's time schedule. Or horribly, like Judas, who decided what he wanted was best - why - all kinds of reasons, jealousy, anxiety over the repeat attempts to take Jesus, wanting to be with the powerful winner, realizing he'd been caught stealing from the disciples and Jesus, greed - any reason. Or just plain thinking that morality was up to Judas to determine. Judas put his own needs and desires first.

The people of Judea expected Jesus to be their magic 8 ball. Give us what we want or we'll crucify you. Or depending on the century... we'll find another god. I'm seeing this in my son's college age friends. Sometimes it is called humanism. Or realism - you decide what is meaningful to you.

It is not uncommon, even among the people who believe fervently. Moses threw a temper tantrum between God's instructions, his own danger, stress of responsibility & the continual thunderous threats of the children of Israel for water. Moses was the one caught between a rock and hard place.

Who turns; who has the will to bend in man's perpetual struggle for his own plans in this life - a life that is over so quickly? God or man. Read the Old Testament, even the villains struggling only for themselves alone accomplish God's will. Prayer can sometimes be a struggle for man speaking with God- struggling to accomplish man's will. God gave us His Son. God's will is going to be accomplished. His purpose for you will be complete. God answers prayer, but even Paul had to let God's will prevail in Paul's life. The prayer of Jabez was willingly granted. David was anointed of God, but he struggled with God's will and his own will. Jesus understood man's desires, and he gave us this parable:

Luke 18:1-818:1
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 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. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Jacob/Israel struggled with God. We all do. Jacob learned something David learned. Something Job learned. Something Paul learned.

Psalm 8:1-4
Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

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Psalm 111 ~ Great are the works of the Lord

Hereford Cathedral - what does Heaven look like to you?

Psalm 111

1 Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;
8 they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!

Footnotes 111:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet

What does Heaven look like to you? Jesus called it the Kingdom of Heaven and Paradise. Cathedrals have their place in God's worship, even if you prefer an outdoor guitar celebration for Easter.

Church worship should inspire you to think about the sermon and the readings. Our guest preacher inspired me to think about the Church and being part of the loving body of Christ. I sometimes miss being part of the huge Church, one of the nation's largest, at Easter and Communion. It would bring tears to my eyes to see people going up to take communion in the awesome, vast, auspicious Church. I told my husband it is like seeing people queue up to enter the Gates of Heaven. All different types of people in line to receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ, expectant faces.

Smaller churches are like family. My family has decided we love our church. The drawbacks? Say you & your husband decided to play hookie and walk to Starbucks on a beautiful Sunday morning, the next Sunday, someone is going to ask you what you were doing when they saw you walking while they were on the way to church. Yes, and decorating the church for Holy Saturday... there is going to be that sister who is letting you know how it should be done and correcting your word usage. If they were your actual sibling, you might accidentally pinch them. But nothing takes the place of your family when your baby dies, as our daughter did.

Last night, my husband & I were winding down our Easter celebration meal, it was dark outside and we looked through our 300 hundred channels to find something reminding us this actually is Easter. So thanks, television schedulers for letting us have one choice. One? We were watching Anthony Hopkins in a movie called "Peter and Paul". Edward turned to me and said, "What do you think Jesus looked like when He returned? Did He look good, remember the tombs opened and prophets and people returned like Jesus. The photo I saw had hands clawing their way out of the ground like zombie day. And they weren't in the ground, they had tombs!"

Edward's question reminded me of the early days after Isabelle died and he asked me forlornly what babies did in Heaven. Which caused me to go the the Scriptures and find Isaiah 49. Yes, this is getting to a point. There actually is a physical resurrection of Jesus. Paul let us know about the new physical body, so the answer is... He looked great. Which reminded me of the jumping little lamb photo I had tucked away.

So...now for the Easter sermon we heard. Our guest was a young man in his 20's, who had bounced from Brazil to America with his family, with his father's employment. He had bonded as a young adult with Brazil and chose to go back, away from his arguing family, and found lots and lots of drug related trouble. He had a church family in Brazil, due to being with his family sometimes in Brazil. They spoke to him, but he was taken in, physically, with the drug family to become part of the drug dealing and drug smuggling culture. After being involved in a very violent fight, he'd brought the baseball bats from America, that became a gunfight/drive by, he realized he was no longer part of the body of Christ. The friend he saw dying, if it had been him, he was destined for hell. He found his aunt, she helped him detox and found a youth weekend were he opened his heart to Jesus Christ. Now he is a young man on his way to youth ministry and seminary.

Where does that leave the body of Christ? This is worth a lot of thought. My father was very important to me. He had many wonderful qualities. He had a fatal flaw, he medicated his hurts with alcohol and was an alcoholic. He told me one of the troubles he had with church was to see upright men so comfortable in church. It is a perpetual problem with the upright, in the congregation. It is an ongoing situation for well over 2,000 years.

Consider if you had been this preaching young man's church family. Would you invite a teenager to live with you knowing he had drug issues, drug friends, drug possession, drug police & drug usage? Would you expose your young children to him? Part of the real problem, this boy brought the bats used to create some of the violence with him from the USA. It is impossible for men to save men from themselves. Only with God is this possible. His church family did not save him, God did. His church family was still speaking to him, so I would hope they continued to pray for him.

Where does that leave you? If you are part of Jesus Christ, it asks you to approach people and their troubles with prayer. It asks you to look for the open door God will provide for you and the person you are praying for. It asks you to act when God prepares a path. Where does that leave you if you are the person who is hurting? You are a child of God. Never forget it. God won't forget His child. Never neglect it. Get yourself to a Christ honoring Church. Make your feet take you weekly. Why? Dropping in and out makes it easier for you to drop out. Realize as you sit in the congregation of God, you are not more unworthy than anyone else. You are not saved by your worthiness, you are saved as a gift of God. Be grateful and remember.

Matthew 22:37-40

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

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Luke 24:1-35 ~ going farther

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

Luke 24:1-35

1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Each time Scripture for Today Blogspot has a biblical reading with some archaeological proof, it is a joy. Yet each archaeological site or artifact always has a skeptic or an opposing view point. It is difficult to have an object with complete proof. If you look all over Jerusalem today, you would see churches over the declared site of many important occasions of Jesus' life. There is not definitive proof of a physical resurrection for Jesus Christ. There are reliable historian references to eye witnesses of Jesus' life. There are two millenniums of changed lives, giving service and love to God Almighty, enabling mankind to do what isn't done by kings, governments & agencies of charities. There are miracles not explainable by chance or circumstance, by those who have sought the Lord.

The Church of Jesus Christ has had mighty victories. And famous defeats crowed over by enemies of the Church, in every century. The enemies of the Church are not new. Because the Church is not man, forgiveness from God and His people allow what a man-made structure could not do; carry on in hope of the saving power in Jesus Christ. Only love can defeat darkness.

John 3:16-21
“For God so loved the world, [Or For this is how God loved the world] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Where is the proof? In each of us the proof must come from you and Your Creator. What do you believe? Jesus told us we would find if we knocked, looked and sought diligently. He said we would be invited in, to have Him dwell in our souls and He will be our salvation.

One night, years ago, I had enjoyed the company of Christians, and clung to my doubts. Yes, the people around me had faith, but this faith was filled with unknowable aspects. Surely the people surrounding me had the same doubts, but this cheerful faith was just a bit false. Gradually it dawned on me, this was not false. A priest asked us that dark night, where did we stand in our faith, did we believe? I cried out to the Lord and knew the love of my Father. My life has changed forever with God's love; I am a believer, a child of God in Jesus Christ. The light shone in the darkness.

Matthew 11:25-30

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. [ Or for so it pleased you well] 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

John 16:33
"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

We returned home from our Easter service; our guest, preaching, used to be a drug smuggler until one night a gunfight caused the realization he had become a monster who did not deserve heaven. His faith, time in church, had given him friends who would still speak to him during his drug dealing years, but it had gone no further. He found Jesus Christ in a youth mission and the love of God has changed his life from drug dealer/smuggler to youth minister attending seminary to spread Jesus' love. The doors of the church, the heart of Jesus, remained open & waiting for this man to seek, to knock, to seek diligently, to go farther.


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