John 14 ~ the Father who dwells in me

John 14

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; [You believe in God] believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? [ In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you ] 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” [Where I am going you know, and the way you know ] 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. [If you have known me, you will know my Father also]. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, [Advocate, or Counselor] to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

Because the Scriptures are so vast, I use readings from Biblegateway.com, Cri/Voice Institute, a man who is a devote Roman Catholic, Christadelphians daily readings, Evangelical Lutheran's daily reading, Methodist readings & Presbyterian. I pray about it and the Scripture is chosen before I know what it will be. The last 3 days of Scripture reading fit together so very well, it is a blessing.

3 days ago we read Ecclesiastes 7, Solomon's circular opinions on seeking wisdom, where he is paraphrasing the parable Jesus told of the dishonest manager - the children of this world are more shrewd than children of God. The main lesson of Ecclesiastes 7 tells us all people, in all situations in life, have more difficulties than we know. We are told to practice compassion and seek to avoid being wasteful or foolish. It is a unique viewpoint of a king giving his honest opinion of a lifetime of judging all situations.

Yesterday, Ecclesiastes 8 tells us life isn't fair, circumstances do not reveal if we are evil or good. Solomon after years of judging Israel, seeing the suffering of life, is not without hope God's plan is for good. He could have become very distant or bitter, but Solomon wants us to know what he has observed in life and is hopeful.

To hear today we get to read John 14.... is the Father speaking on life through His Son. I love John 14. So full of the joy of the Spirit. Let's look at this as a love letter:

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in me, I am preparing a place for you. You know. You know me and you know my Father. Because you believe in me, allow the Counselor, the Helper to dwell in you to do the works of our Father. Look for, allow and rejoice in the peace God gives us.

You are not alone, you are not orphaned, the world does not see me, but you know and believe. Keep the word of God, do His commandments, let goodness and mercy flow from you.

In John 14, Jesus isn't saying the world is a rough place, just accept it. No, the opposite. Jesus says how much He loves us and we should be prayerful. Jesus asks us to pray with expectant hearts and souls. John 14 tells us how much God can accomplish with expectant prayer. This is an amazing chapter filled with the power of God and the understanding of Scripture.

Thank you, Father God, for the works you have shown us in the Scriptures. Open our eyes to the possibilities you would give us. Help us to see and know Your word and work for each day. Let us be the goodness and mercy you would have us show. To the Glory of Your name, which You willing bestow on us, Your children. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Ecclesiastes 8 ~ it will be well with those

A Jew at the Wall of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, by Jean-Leon Gerome, 1877, The Israel Museum

Ecclesiastes 8

1 Who is like the wise?
And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
A man's wisdom makes his face shine,
and the hardness of his face is changed.

2 I say: Keep the king's command, because of God's oath to him. [Your oath to God]. 3 Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” 5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. 6 For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble [evil] lies heavy on him. 7 For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? 8 No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 9 All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.

10 Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised [forgotten] in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. 11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

14 There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15 And I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.

16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one's eyes see sleep, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.

God knew what He was doing when He.... Where was God when my loved one became ill and died....

Israel was just a few decades from the time of judges during the reign of Solomon. Just as a Doctor in charge of the Emergency Room decides never to have children because of the suffering seen in the E.R., Solomon has lived days of supreme command; he has spent days making judgments over evil and suffering. Jesus agrees with Solomon & says in the New Testament He knows what is in the heart of man. Solomon has not been left on his throne on high, he has compassion and wonder over the events in life.

He comments evil might go on for years unchecked, and has seen the vanity of expecting good things to come to the good and evil things come to the evil. This portion of the Scriptures is overlooked in Judea during the time of Jesus. Jesus is asked what sin brought about the blindness of a man and what sin was punished when men were crushed by a falling wall. Solomon's wisdom has largely gone unheeded in a country priding itself upon Solomon.

Solomon never declares people with evil events are under the judgment of God. After years of hearing trouble and trauma, Solomon is not embittered and will still proclaim joy in the goodness of God's judgments for eternity. Solomon sees the joy in looking for blessings and understands this gratitude to be the secret of happiness.

He reminds us we will not understand God's plans, because we are not God.

Abba, we thank you for the blessing of prayer. We give You thanks, You are the hope in difficult circumstance, You have promised to hear our prayers. We ask forgiveness for turning away with a judgmental spirit from the trouble of others. We seek Your help to look for the joy and to be a bringer of joy. We give You praise for Your goodness in times of blessing and we look forward in anticipation. We pray for Your will to be done in Heaven and on earth. Put the light of Jesus Christ in us, that our words, and our work may bring goodness and mercy. Amen.

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Ecclesiastes 7 ~ an advantage to those under the sun

Study of an Old Man in Profile — Rembrandt van Rijn


Study of the head of an old man, Peter Paul Rubens

Ecclesiastes 7

1 A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise
than to hear the song of fools.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,
so is the laughter of the fools;
this also is vanity.
7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.
10 Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
an advantage to those who see the sun.
12 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
13 Consider the work of God:
who can make straight what he has made crooked?

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?

25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Ecclesiastes is written by a son of David, King over Israel. One wouldn't think a king over Israel would sit at the end of his life to think of his vain life.

Catherine II, the Great, of Russia was woman who died with regrets; one of her earliest and more important goals was to improve the life, of most of her subjects, out of the terrible serfdom they experienced. She was unable, the nobility supporting her reign didn't want their serfs to have advantages. Her life was one of cruelty under her predecessor Empress Elizabeth. Her husband Peter III was a fool, he was deposed and later murdered. In legality, Catherine's reign was illegitimate. Her life became centered on fearsome politics and self-indulgence. Her country had terrible rumors about her children and her morality still circulating about her today. A lot of her accomplishments are unknown, although the Empire's administration became improved as land accumulation continued.

What would the writter of Ecclesiastes have as an advantage? Solomon began his reign with the blessing of God. His mistakes came from his own choosing, circumstances did not push Solomon. We see from Solomon's words, he had his own problems. And his advice is sometimes circular. Solomon had too many wives to care deeply for them and dismisses women, surely this is blaming his own problems on someone else.

In the midst of all of the advice to seek wisdom and to back away from wisdom, we see that everyone under the sun has circumstances they would like to better control and improve.

So, the advantage available to us? The study of life and its situations from the Holy Spirit. People around us have their own issues. No one is perfect. Fear God, be compassionate. Use the deliberation of wisdom to make choices. The portraits, above, were used as an example of decisions made during our lives leading to the fulfillment of life. Choices made to strengthen life and the application of the Holy Spirit to have the compassion, self-examination to lead and guide us.

FatherGod, let us each day put out our hands to do the work and have the choices You would have us make. Strengthen us each day to have the gratitude of a life well lived and not the bitterness of self-indulgence. Continue to bless Your children, not for self-righteousness, but for the honor and glory of Your name. We pray in the highest name of Jesus. Amen.

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Psalm 87 ~ this one was born there

Aerial Photo of Jerusalem

Psalm 87

1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 Glorious things of you are spoken,
O city of God. Selah

4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush —
“This one was born there,” they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”;
for the Most High himself will establish her.
6 The Lord records as he registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah

7 Singers and dancers alike say,
“All my springs are in you.”

In Texas we have bumper stickers that say "I wasn't born here, but I got here as fast as I could." I miss the old black & white license plates, people used to say meant Texas was just plain friendly. I'm not that old, not even 50, but I remember growing up in Dallas, we had 320,000 people in the city limits. There used to be lots of fields between Dallas and Fort Worth. The drive, as a child, was boring to me. It took forever to get to Six Flags Over Texas Park and you'd see cattle and barbed wire.

I've seen a Dallas phone book, or telephone directory, from before my mother was born. It seems Dallas had about 2 or 3 thousand phones in the early 1930s.

Time as we know it is a cage; God created time, but He does not dwell in it. Revelation is the end of the books of the Bible, but speaks of God's new creation. His creation is vast in this universe and, also, in His Heavenly Kingdom. Like all of us, God has a city He considers His. Isn't it great that we have a God who defies the little halos of stereotypical God? No, God is not a little club, or old school, God's Zion is vast. Like John's definition of God is vast:

I John 4:8b
God is Love

We see in Revelation 21 there is a new Heaven, a new earth & new Jerusalem. Jerusalem has measurements to tell us it is not infinite, but the Kingdom of Heaven contains Jerusalem.

Today, Psalm 87 writes the Lord Himself registering the birth of His people in the Book of Life. Even in Revelation, the last book of the bible, God speaks of new creation:

Revelation 3:5
He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

Revelation 7:9
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Thank You, FatherGod, You are vast. What is man that You are mindful of Him? Thank You, FatherGod, for the care and love You have given us in giving us Your Son. Thank You for the Scriptures pointing to Your Steadfast Love through all the generations.

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Psalm 43 ~ Your light and Your truth

Psalm 43

1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?

3 Send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling!
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy,
and I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

The Houston Chronicle had a great Easter article last year. It's good to read it again:

Anne Rice's Easter Story

Anne Rice, author of dark novels such as Interview With The Vampire, has a message for her readers:

I can't go back to the vampires. I can't bring them into this world where I now live, where the...light of Christ shines...I'm somebody different now...and I won't be going back.

Anne Rice, aka Howard Allen O'Brien (& several other author names), grew up in the garden district of New Orleans. She came of years amid the gnarled oaks dripping with Spanish moss that stood guard over crumbling mansions like the one in which she lived. Decay mingled with beauty; darkness subdued light.

As a child, Anne remembers visiting Lafayette Cemetery with its signature above-ground tombs where she traced her fingertips across the tombstones of those who died of yellow fever. In her impressionable mind, stories formed...dark stories.

Her fanciful trip into darkness paralleled her own life. Anne's mother died when she was 15 and shortly thereafter she abandoned her Catholic faith. While at Texas Women's University, she wandered through the writings of existentialists and philosophers like Kirkegaard, Satre, Camus and others.

A spiritual eclipse was complete when her daughter, aged 4, died of leukemia. Writing and alcohol - the spirits for the dispirited - became Rice's coping mechanisms. In this deep malaise, Interview With The Vampire was born. In this and other books, Anne wrestled with the meaning of life, the existence of God, and the pervasiveness of evil. Looking back, Anne saw that she was expressing the "...feelings of despair of a person who does not have faith in God."

Her writings were noticed and her fame secured with combined sales of nearly 100 million books. Yet, Rice remained preoccupied with darkness. In 1998, she walked through death's shadows when she fell into a diabetic coma. Once she recovered, a ruptured appendix drew her back to death's door.

Granted two reprieves on life, Anne felt that someone was watching over her. She picked up the Bible and began to read the story of Jesus. From that point, Rice applied her formidable research and writing skills to the task of penning the greatest story ever told. In the Christ The Lord series, her first book was called Out Of Egypt. It may well have been called Out of Darkness.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, a handful of women came to visit Christ's tomb. An angel asked these women, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5). Had they searched on Friday, they would have found Jesus in the graveyard...but not on Sunday. For Jesus arose triumphant over the grave.

Anne Rice made her pilgrimage from darkness into the light. And, she's determined to never go back.

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1 John 2:18-29 ~ you have been annointed by the Holy One

1 John 2:18-29

18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. 20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. 21 I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us —eternal life.

26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

Looking for the perfect church? Just as there are not perfect believers, there just isn't a perfect church. Paul started many churches and spent a lot of time writing to them about mending their ways. We can perfectly say this isn't just for churches, but us. As individual believers.

Jesus said:

Mark 13:28-37
²⁸"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ²⁹Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. ³⁰I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

³²"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. ³⁴It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

³⁵"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. ³⁶If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. ³⁷What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "

One thing about the beloved disciple, he is not going to teach what Jesus did not. John was upfront what he believed. Some of the churches today are not. There are churches today that tell us to do away with whole parts of the Scriptures. 5 years ago, it was only parts of the New Testament, now they have started to condemn the Old Testament. There are churches today who deny Jesus died, in God's plan, to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. There are churches today who say there is no personal salvation, we are only saved as a corporate community. There are churches today who tell us the Jews no longer deserve Israel. An important statement. No one has ever deserved Israel. God gives us gifts out of His mercy and His word.

I know of a church in the Houston area, the congregation was pleased with their head minister. Upon leaving the church, after being in the church almost a decade, the man took a job & pledged to restore a seminary, one of the most liberal in our country which had fallen into nothing. His old congregation was pleased the seminary would hear Scripture believing lessons. Not so, he made the headlines promising to fill the seminary with very liberal, partial scriptural students. He had been a paid shepherd, not a soul who had been transparent.

There are different parts of the body of Christ, fulfilling different Christian needs. It is not needed to condemn another part of the body of Christ until Christian basic principals are denied. But, remember, we are getting to be in turbulent waters when Scripture is denied and Christ is re-defined to be certain characteristics instead of all of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures. Christ honoring, Scripture believing Churches need to support one another.

May God bless His Churches honoring all of the Scriptures, wanting to know all about Jesus Christ. May we support one another as we encourage one another to grow in the Holy Spirit. Father, please grant your Churches to be an oasis for the Love and mercy You give us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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John 6:52-59 ~ this is the bread that came down from heaven

The Eucharist by Nicolas Poussin. 1647

John 6:52-59

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

Passover has a very memorable, serious and beautiful question: "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

Christians have a similar question for Communion. It does not matter if you are Catholic or Protestant, what makes the consecrated body and blood of Christ different from all other substances? The Holiness and Righteousness of our Loving God Almighty. The blood of Jesus Christ spilled to save you.

We had this discussion in a church luncheon today. We are Anglican and are called the middle way because we are both Catholic and Protestant. I am comfortable if you believe in transubstantiation or not. The Protestant portion of our church welcomes a Christian to believe the Eucharist is Communion and is the mystery of the body of Jesus Christ. Important and special as a sacrament. Protestants do not readily bless objects (like homes, boats, crosses) to make the Communion process more important, where the bread and wine are blessed.

I am comfortable of my belief which is more Catholic in nature - having my great-uncle as a priest of the Episcopal church from 1925 until his death in 1977. One of his greatest pleasures in life, and as a priest, was to consecrate ordinary bread and wine to become the mystical body of Jesus Christ. Uncle Tate felt so strongly about it, he wrote a book. He was passionate about the subject, we worship with Jesus Christ with us in body.

I do not seek to change your opinion. What I seek is to deepen the awe we experience in Communion. As a privileged and blessed congregation under one God. The Catholic Church serves a purpose in the mysteries of God that the Protestant Church would do well to mention and meditate upon much more often. Let's celebrate together God's amazing ways still occurring today all over the world. The Catholic Church is the body of Christ's historian; they are very careful to find the facts when the Spirit of God is manifested, before a miracle is confirmed. One amazing conclusion is reached every time the Catholic Church announces a miracle in the transubstantiation of the Communion Bread and Wine. The Blood is actually the same type. AB positive, every time. Even when the miracle is centuries old. The Vatican Museum came to the Houston Museum of Natural Science about 7 years ago. In the exhibition, several Hosts have been beautifully pressed and displayed after displaying human Blood. Jesus Christ, the Father and the Holy Spirit. We love and serve an awesome God.

Mark 9:23
And Jesus said to him,"If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

Matthew 19:26
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

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Exodus 15 ~ the Water became sweet

Exodus 15

1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider [chariot] he has thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
my father's God, and I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a man of war;
the Lord is his name.

4 “Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea,
and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
5 The floods covered them;
they went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,
your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;
you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
the floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand;
the earth swallowed them.

13 “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;
you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 The peoples have heard; they tremble;
pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed;
trembling seizes the leaders of Moab;
all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 Terror and dread fall upon them;
because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone,
till your people, O Lord, pass by,
till the people pass by whom you have purchased.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain,
the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode,
the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.
18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.”

19 For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”


22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. [Bitterness] 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, [tree] and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.






We had a very special time with the Lord at Church Wednesday night. Our Pastor, Clark told a heartfelt story of a call from his sister telling him about finding a box of photos of him as a child. It made him remember how much, as a child, he liked to play & dress as Superman. Perhaps it was because Superman was named Clark, but he said it was knowing even as a child there are circumstances that make life difficult. Children love to look for Superheroes to wave a magic wand to miraculously restore a wrong into a right.

Moses came to do mighty works from the Lord, the Egyptian archaeologists agree took place. The History channel did a long special on the plagues they can see took place. How did the people react to the mighty works of God? Fear and mistrust. More, they cried.

Moses began with the fire of the Holy Spirit shown only to Moses. The power of God's might rested on one individual.

Jesus Christ did the mighty works of His Father. Different, we cried. More, we cried. Crucify Him, we all have cried, as even the most well intentioned, today, have sinned and need His grace. Even during Jesus' death, the mob looked for a miracle for further proof. And upon Jesus' death, the fire of the Holy Spirit was sent to the men seeking Him. Instead of fear at the Words of God, at the foot of the Holy mountain, when the people cried out for God to stop speaking to them; we have found the Lamb of God.

Moses came as the servant of the Lord, professing and displaying the wonders and the might of God. Jesus came as the servant of the Lord, obedient unto death. Jesus came as the Son to display the Love and the enduring mercy of the Father. Jesus Christ draws each of us to Him.

Matthew 23:37b-39
How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously

Acts 2:42-47
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.


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2 Samuel 12 ~ before the sun

Jerusalem is a plateau in the Judean Mountains. The elevation of the Old City is approximately 2,500 feet. The whole of Jerusalem is surrounded by valleys and dry riverbeds (wadis). Along the southern side of old Jerusalem is the Valley of Hinnom, a steep ravine associated with the concept of Hell.

In biblical times, Jerusalem was surrounded by forests of almond, olive and pine trees. Farmers built stone terraces along the slopes, holding back the soil, still part of the Jerusalem landscape.

The city has a Mediterranean climate, with hot summers, and rainy winters. Light snow usually falls once or twice in winter. January is the coldest month of the year, 46 °F; July and August are the hottest months, with an average 73 °F. Temperatures vary widely from day to night. The average annual precipitation is 23 inches, occurring mostly from October to May.

2 Samuel 12

1 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.

And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

24 Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved him 25 and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, [beloved of the Lord] because of the Lord.

26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city. 27 And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters. 28 Now then gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name.” 29 So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it. 30 And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent [75 lbs.] of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David's head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount. 31 And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes and made them toil at the brick kilns. And thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

It's interesting the way men of God face their own sin. Eli was told his sons would not survive him, twice, and he replied to Samuel, "The Lord should do what is good in His eyes." Samuel was told his sons would not be judges because they did not do good in the eyes of the Lord. Samuel moved on to do the Lord's will.

David believed he would sin privately. Unlike Saul, David did not justify his actions as Saul did when he killed the priests (1 Samuel 22:17). David did not demand loyalty from Nathan to cover for a sin. David believed and knew his actions were against God, understanding Uriah was a child of God.

Jonathan told Saul to accept God's will and be glad, Saul ruined himself wanting what he wanted.

David, unlike Samuel, Saul, or even Eli, goes further when he is suffering the punishment of the word of God, he fasts and prays for the mercy of God. God gives David mercy in the future, God's will prevails, but God is merciful. David expects God to be merciful to him, even in forgiveness. It is a pleasing aspect of God. Although God is holy, He desires to be merciful. David does not expect favoritism, he loves God for enduring love and mercy. No wonder David is held as the apple of God's eye. This is where I'd like to be placed as well.

Thank you, FatherGod, You place mankind in Your mercy.

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John 6:30-35 ~ my Father gives you

Holy Face of Jesus by Jan Reijnierse, based upon study of the Shroud of Turin

John 6:30-35

30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

My Father gives you:

Genesis 2:4b
the LORD God made the earth and the heavens

Genesis 15:2a
Lord God ADONAI

Genesis 17:1
I am God Almighty EL SHADDAI

Genesis 22:14
So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.

Exodus 3:
¹⁴ God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

Psalm 23:1a
The LORD is my shepherd

Psalm 71:22b
O Holy One of Israel KADOSH

Isaiah 43:3a
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior

John 8:12b
I am the light of the world

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Our youth group opened each year by looking up and writing down all the names of God they could find in the Bible. They would then decorate a piece of paper, or canvas, a few minutes later with only the names of God they remembered. We heard the youth say this felt holy to them, a cleansing. You are invited to participate in the same way. This can be done orally, written or both. You can, of course, add all the names of God from memory or study.

Be blessed.

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Prayer Request

Please continue to pray for God's mercy to the people of Iceland, farmers, animals and travelers effected by the Volcano in Iceland.

Psalm 4 ~ Thou hast put gladness in my heart

Psalm 4 ~ American Standard Version

1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness; Thou hast set me at large when I was in distress: Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

2 O ye sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor? How long will ye love vanity, and seek after falsehood? Selah

3 But know that Jehovah hath set apart for himself him that is godly: Jehovah will hear when I call unto him.

4 Stand in awe, and sin not: Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in Jehovah.

6 Many there are that say, Who will show us any good? Jehovah, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, More than they have when their grain and their new wine are increased.

8 In peace will I both lay me down and sleep; For thou, Jehovah, alone makest me dwell in safety.


Isaiah 51:11
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy,and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.



Mark 4:37-40
³⁷A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"

³⁹He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

I was in the car today and some song came on. I've forgotten now what the song was, but the message was to see the adventure in life. It's a prime idea. When people are happy, they don't fret over the small things. Irritating people are amusing. Boredom is a resting place. Norman Vincent Peale used to say if you have problems, it's good, it means you are breathing.

Jan Karon’s series of books, about her character, Father Tim Kavanagh were my favorite books in a quiet and good time in my life. Father Tim always prayed the prayer that never fails. "Father, I pray for Your will to be done." It's a great prayer.

When we believe God's will is being accomplished - in good times and bad, we have more gratitude. Gratitude, gladness, hope, faith and love.

CNN did a documentary about people who lived to be very old. The one trait they have in common is a freedom from worry. That cancels out me and my family. Yet, we all live to be 94. My husband's uncle lived to 93 with terribly high blood pressure. God's will wins out. Let's rest in His plan.

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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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