… Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1: 21
…His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Might God,
…The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:6

… God hath made that same Jesus… both Lord & Christ Acts 2:36

…Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world! John 1:29

…they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, the song of The Lamb Revelation 15:3


…Behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah Revelation 5:5


..and the Bright & Morning Star Revelation 22:16


..and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life 1 John 1:1


…we have and advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ The Righteous 1 John 2:1


…whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us. Luke 1:78


…Before Abraham, I Am. John 8:58


…And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. John 1: 34

…are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. 1 Peter 2:25


…We have found the Messiah which, is being interpreted, the Christ. John 1:41


…I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6


…through the knowledge of the Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. II Peter 2: 20

..a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Revelation 19:16

…I am the Light of the World. John 8:12

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

…I am Alpha & Omega the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come

The Almighty Revelation 1:8

Luke 2:10
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

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Job 33 ~ to bring back his soul

We are the wisdom people, with the ability to look back over at least 4 millenniums and see the people 2 millenniums Before Christ.

Matthew 13:16-17
But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

John 20:29
Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”


Job 33           Elihu Rebukes Job

“But now, hear my speech, O Job,
and listen to all my words.
2 Behold, I open my mouth;
the tongue in my mouth speaks.
3 My words declare the uprightness of my heart,
and what my lips know they speak sincerely.
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 Answer me, if you can;
set your words in order before me; take your stand.
6 Behold, I am toward God as you are;
I too was pinched off from a piece of clay.
7 Behold, no fear of me need terrify you;
my pressure will not be heavy upon you.

8 “Surely you have spoken in my ears,
and I have heard the sound of your words.
9 You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me.
10 Behold, he finds occasions against me,
he counts me as his enemy,
11 he puts my feet in the stocks
and watches all my paths.’

12 “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you,
for God is greater than man.
13 Why do you contend against him,
saying, ‘He will answer none of man's words’?
14 For God speaks in one way,
and in two, though man does not perceive it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men,
while they slumber on their beds,
16 then he opens the ears of men
and terrifies them with warnings,
17 that he may turn man aside from his deed
and conceal pride from a man;
18 he keeps back his soul from the pit,
his life from perishing by the sword.

19 “Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed
and with continual strife in his bones,
20 so that his life loathes bread,
and his appetite the choicest food.
21 His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen,
and his bones that were not seen stick out.
22 His soul draws near the pit,
and his life to those who bring death.
23 If there be for him an angel,
a mediator, one of the thousand,
to declare to man what is right for him,
24 and he is merciful to him, and says,
‘Deliver him from going down into the pit;
I have found a ransom;
25 let his flesh become fresh with youth;
let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’;
26 then man prays to God, and he accepts him;
he sees his face with a shout of joy,
and he restores to man his righteousness.
27 He sings before men and says:
‘I sinned and perverted what was right,
and it was not repaid to me.
28 He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit,
and my life shall look upon the light.’

29 “Behold, God does all these things,
twice, three times, with a man,
30 to bring back his soul from the pit,
that he may be lighted with the light of life.
31 Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
32 If you have any words, answer me;
speak, for I desire to justify you.
33 If not, listen to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Job 33

“But now, hear my speech, O Job,
and listen to all my words.
2 Behold, I open my mouth;
the tongue in my mouth speaks.
3 My words declare the uprightness of my heart,
and what my lips know they speak sincerely.
4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 Answer me, if you can;
set your words in order before me; take your stand.
6 Behold, I am toward God as you are;
I too was pinched off from a piece of clay.
7 Behold, no fear of me need terrify you;
my pressure will not be heavy upon you.

Why hammer away? When God gives us the urge to speak, do speak up.

God never called for hammers, He asked for Salt and Light. Just like a potato chip, to delight the people who want more. Remember the people of God went to John the Baptist in the wilderness and traveled so far to See Jesus ~ He was concerned they'd faint on the journey home.

Jesus Expected His Word to go forth and last.



8 “Surely you have spoken in my ears,
and I have heard the sound of your words.
9 You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me.
10 Behold, he finds occasions against me,
he counts me as his enemy,
11 he puts my feet in the stocks
and watches all my paths.’


The Word of God says when we speak from HIM, usually we feel like we have solid ground to speak from. Even Paul did echo this in Scripture - saying he knew he he was a sinner but during His speaking - Paul could not put a finger on his sin.

And then, and then and then - before we get too puffed with pride. The Lord would remind us man thinks of himself as more pure than a Holy God. In the very core Scripture of Micah 6 - Walk Humbly !




12 “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you,
for God is greater than man.
13 Why do you contend against him,
saying, ‘He will answer none of man's words’?
14 For God speaks in one way,
and in two, though man does not perceive it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men,
while they slumber on their beds,
16 then he opens the ears of men
and terrifies them with warnings,
17 that he may turn man aside from his deed
and conceal pride from a man;
18 he keeps back his soul from the pit,
his life from perishing by the sword.


Remember with me, one of man's greatest longings is to for the salvation of his beloved family and friends. The Rich man asked of God to send one back to them from the dead. Remember with me God speaks unbelievable renewal of life in the reformation of Israel. Happening when... again today.
God IS Still Working.

John 5:17
But Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I."



And we see the repeat of the appearance of the Holy Spirit rings forth that God gives STRONG emotion when He roars forth.


19 “Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed
and with continual strife in his bones,
20 so that his life loathes bread,
and his appetite the choicest food.
21 His flesh is so wasted away that it cannot be seen,
and his bones that were not seen stick out.
22 His soul draws near the pit,
and his life to those who bring death.



23 If there be for him an angel,
a mediator, one of the thousand,
to declare to man what is right for him,
24 and he is merciful to him, and says,
‘Deliver him from going down into the pit;
I have found a ransom;
25 let his flesh become fresh with youth;
let him return to the days of his youthful vigor’;
26 then man prays to God, and he accepts him;
he sees his face with a shout of joy,
and he restores to man his righteousness.
27 He sings before men and says:
‘I sinned and perverted what was right,
and it was not repaid to me.
28 He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit,
and my life shall look upon the light.’

Jesus Christ - our Mediator - Thank God!!!


29 “Behold, God does all these things,
twice, three times, with a man,
30 to bring back his soul from the pit,
that he may be lighted with the light of life.
31 Pay attention, O Job, listen to me;
be silent, and I will speak.
32 If you have any words, answer me;
speak, for I desire to justify you.
33 If not, listen to me;
be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”


Elihu Rebukes Job. Well he who laughs last - laughs best soo... what can we take from this? Now, we know they both spoke the truth and without the effort to COMPLETE the communication...all efforts go unnoticed they both strive for the same goal.

If life exists truly in the nano moments of our days, we have to remember the old commercial of how many licks does it take to get to Jeshua's center ---

Salt, light, humorous teachings, encouraging, same-side, believing in each other like a Good Father to Gideon.   And sometimes, being the tootsie-roll center - our Christmas gift is the determination not to argue and the gift of silence is given. 

Elihu goes on in great detail - Job has found one willing to give him great time - not always judging Job correctly - yet still worth the efforts they bring to each other. Iron sharpens Iron.

Teaching us letters of recommendations, as a letter of Christ, are written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

When we bring Him to others our speech is not CARVED IN STONE, but the Glory of righteousness of Love.

The heart of our communications for HIM are - not - a ministry of condemnation - holier than thou - but seeking the permanent glory of He is Salvation and Love. Praying for Him to let us be bold when, like Elihu, we are given a teachable moment.

The Ministry of His Righteous Love exceeds so far - we are reminded Jesus came in glory to save the world. The Lord, who is the Holy Spirit brings LIFE!

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Isaiah 40 ~ His reward is with Him

Isaiah 40

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.

3 A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”


6 A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
The Greatness of God

9 Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,
or what man shows him his counsel?
14 Whom did he consult,
and who made him understand?
Who taught him the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as the dust on the scales;
behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.
16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before him,
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

18 To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?
19 An idol! A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
20 He who is too impoverished for an offering
chooses wood[h] that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol that will not move.

21 Do you not know? Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
23 who brings princes to nothing,
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

25 To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power
not one is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.



Isaiah 40

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that her warfare is ended,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.

Pontius Pilate was recorded historically only in the last 40 years. He was recorded as scoffing at Truth. Eve was recorded as wanting to be the decision maker in Good and Evil on par with God.

When Jesus chose to live our life on earth. Roman money had poured into Judah. The Vine of David had been snipped from the Throne of David. Outwardly religious, Herod chose the priests for His Temple. Essenes left the Temple declaring the Temple, where Anna and Simeon greeted infant Jesus; later Jesus occasionally taught, to be devoid of the Holy Spirit. The Essenes did perish as well as the Temple. Choosing to live in an Ivory Tower - desert. Yet the fruit of the Temple and the fruit of the Essenes in the Dead Sea Scrolls reflect today the workings of the Holy Spirit.

This was a mess - the kind Jesus declares HE will come and save if we call earnestly upon Him. The Word of God is messy. Jesus is declared a winebibber - alcoholic - glutton - sitting with thugs and sinners. From a blended family the Sadduceen Council would gossip about for forty years after Jesus' trial.

Church tradition says leave the world and be more saintly. The Word of God does not leave the World. Only Elijah fled and had extreme despair. It was a terrible mess - and God came when earnestly sought.

Subtitles work when life is more perfect. And then you can skip the paragraphs unredeemed to be necessary for subtitles... No, the Word is Living and Active.


3 A voice cries:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

This glimpse of Heaven is explained more fully in Isaiah 49. Well worth looking up. Especially if you have lost a loved one and wonder what paradise looks like. Scripture requires some digging to be put into the heart and lived. We prepare our hearts when we look into Scripture. And more of this is found in the Gospels. John the Baptist was from Abilene. (The place where Abilene, Texas is named for.) The roads are level, the landscape is flat - Just like we glimpse Heaven in Isaiah 49. Although the grid work is flat, Heaven has hills and mountains. You can tell for all flesh shall see it together, for the Mouth of the Lord has Spoken.

Surely Heaven in God's word with Scripture fulfillment is worth looking UP!

6 A voice says, “Cry!”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades
when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.

~ Oh man, being middle aged, almost, you have to love the permanence of the Word of 'our' God Will Stand Forever.

And we get to the portion that says cry and the plaintive wail - where to cry, how much, when??? We all do that. This is when we realize when you go to your long ago Minister and your child is being spit - literally - upon and he says nope the turn the other cheek portion is gone after weeks. Now. That. Will draw you up short. Even that Minister doesn't believe "TURN THE OTHER CHEEK." Wow. That makes you want to sit down. Actually. NO. What our minister friend was saying is not so shocking. When you connect the thought dots. My son Cal tried peace. And that Scripture was just not the right fix to the problem. Peaceful solutions should be explored.

Come Lord Jesus always be our wisdom to apply the right fix to the right problem. !!!!!!!!!!!!

The adults advised Cal to save his reputation, rebuke the devil and he will flee. Acutaleee. We advised him to hit the spitter who first liked to draw a crowd first. My son went better than the adult advice and instead rammed the spitter against a wall and did this:

2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.”

Job 24:23
He gives them security, and they are supported, and his eyes are upon their ways.

Merely with force and an eye pressed to an eye - the true grit determination and the pain - extinguished the jealousy the spitter had over a pretty girl. The girl chose poorly herself.

She picked
Proverbs 13:20
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. Seeing that the embarrassment both boys caused her wasn't worth the struggle.

Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

She never gave that valiant son of mine another look. And let this mom tell you he was president of two clubs in High School. The teachers voted him in their top ten student pick. And Cal received a larger scholarship to college than the Valedictorian, because a parent dug through every book Amazon and the High School Counselor recommended. He was President of his college fraternity. Ran the blood drive. Was in Student Council. Ran two formals, and had many, many people stand in line during the parties to tell him of their troubles so he could solve them. Now. Please write Cal and explain to him - he has a God given talent to do psychology or psychiatry.

Happy 25th Birthday, Cal.

9 Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
10 Behold, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
behold, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
11 He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.

The Good News still is that Jesus Christ saves. And according to verse 10, God saves well and efficiently.


12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?

13 Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,
or what man shows him his counsel?
14 Whom did he consult,
and who made him understand?

Who taught him the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?

15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as the dust on the scales;
behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.
16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
17 All the nations are as nothing before him,
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.




18 To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?
19 An idol! A craftsman casts it,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts for it silver chains.
20 He who is too impoverished for an offering
chooses wood that will not rot;
he seeks out a skillful craftsman
to set up an idol that will not move.

21 Do you not know? Do you not hear?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;
23 who brings princes to nothing,
and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them, and they wither,
and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

25 To whom then will you compare me,
that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
who created these?
He who brings out their host by number,
calling them all by name,
by the greatness of his might,
and because he is strong in power
not one is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.



The Lord lives within us when we accept Jesus Christ. For each season of our lives, God is for us. In trouble, God is our salvation daily - a wilderness still in God's care. In good times, God in His Glory prevails. We don't need to read the Bible just as history. Or we recognize that portion as the old John the Baptist portion. Not just looking at biblical stories with nostalgia of great times, we can look ahead in hope. God is for us in this time and in this generation. His reward is with Him and He is with us. 



 Isaiah 40:1-31   English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio


 

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Zechariah 4 ~ Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?”

Zechariah 4


And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

8 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 10 For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

“These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.” 11 Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?” 12 And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?” 13 He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

C.S. Lewis was known to be a tenderhearted child who was very interested in the products of his imagination which he and his mother called 'small things'. His younger wanderings were filled with the understanding of Jesus and, later, Narnia. In the in between years, C.S. Lewis was prone to wander far from the Lord. He had a time period where he despised his small things.


What if -
C.S. Lewis had only encountered a world where he was disdained for his lack of total devotion and judgement for being inferior to Jesus? Would human judgment have inspired C.S. Lewis to grow?



We have free will. But how pervasive is that free will?
I'd say we live a life of illusion - believing all around us is so permanent. 

About three days ago I asked my mom how old her brother was, and found Jimmy was 83. 

My Uncle Jimmy provides us with the renewed and living hope Jesus gave us of workers coming to the Lord at different ages.

Yesterday, her brother, went in an ambulance to the hospital and died before family could be called. His family is so grateful to the Lord Jimmy did not suffer.  - Jimmy Willard, in his 70s, heard Jesus telling Jimmy was precious, chosen and special in Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life."  After seven decades of his mother Anita's daily prayers - prayers that were Pervasive. Refusing to Yield - led to Jimmy understanding How Very Much Jesus Loves Jimmy.  Grandmother Anita must be fluttering those hands and clutching Jimmy to her. She loved that boy of hers!

The purpose of this blog is to tell the truth of hardship and love.  Jimmy had two adoptions as a small child. He looked normal, but a forceps delivery made life Very difficult for Jimmy. His first adopted mother decided to beat potty training into that small burned boy. Jimmy grew up seeing Anita feeding hordes of people in her backyard during the Great Depression from their small frame house.

Finding Jesus and knowing His love took the constant being at sea out of Jimmy. And his final years, after making sure Grandmother Anita lived in her home until her 90's, were filled with the knowledge he had returned decades of kindnesses. Their circle of love and care were completed in his care for her.  Even after Grandmother Anita went home, those prayers continued to love on Jimmy.  He found Jesus. His later years were the best for him, the fulfilled Jimmy was a vastly different Jimmy.




I'd say we have Two Choices in Life - Being on the Ship - like the analogy of Paul traveling to spread the Joy of Jesus the Bridegroom dwelling within us. And swimming with the fishes - rather like Jonah.

Swimming with that Jonah fish circling - leads us to being spit out as lukewarm to Him.


“And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”
― C.S. Lewis

“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
― C.S. Lewis

“I have come to know a God who has a soft spot for rebels, who recruits people like the adulterer David, the whiner Jeremiah, the traitor Peter, and the human-rights abuser Saul of Tarsus. I have come to know a God whose Son made prodigals the heroes of his stories and the trophies of his ministry.”
― Philip Yancey 




But not needing that Ship? Fellows on a Ship... Or like the movie "Knight and Day". With HIM Up there - without Him - down low. 

“Self-sufficiency is the enemy of salvation. If you are self-sufficient, you have no need of God. If you have no need of God, you do not seek Him. If you do not seek Him, you will not find Him.”
― William Nicholson, Shadowlands

“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
― C S Lewis 




Trouble on the Ship....


“Here I am going to say something which may come as a bit of a shock. God doesn't necessarily want us to be happy. He wants us to be lovable. Worthy of love. Able to be loved by Him. We don't start off being all that lovable, if we're honest. What makes people hard to love? Isn't it what is commonly called selfishness? Selfish people are hard to love because so little love comes out of them.”
― William Nicholson, Shadowlands

Discomfort is something to be looked upon as an opportunity to grow. Trouble requires us to change. Giving us time not to stagnate, but to endure. And grow.




Paul indeed found trouble on the Ship - the sojourner found His Ship sometimes even had shipwrecks. But in clinging to that Ship   those trusting Him found safe harbor.  God used Paul's talents to make his life rich knowing how high, how wide was God's love for all aboard that ship.
 
If you are familiar with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - you realize Zechariah 4 opened up doors to C.S. Lewis to explain the sojourning of life. Perfectly explaining the Love experienced by those who Love the Lord.   GOD Equips us to do His work.




And of course - We need a Christmas Message ~

The other aspect of looking at Zechariah 4 is seeing how his parent fostered C.S. Lewis' creativity. The gifts we give our Children should encourage them to cook, doodle, dream, build, musical instruments - these gifts change lives. I'm so grateful to Mike McDonald, our Youth Minister, who told us one Christmas we would be buying Cal the best used guitar we could reasonably afford because that gift gave Cal the music of his soul - pouring out longings teenagers can't always express. Mike taught Cal guitar for free at his insistence, and Cal went on to start his High School Guitar Club, which in turn, got Cal leadership skills to start the Ultimate Frisbee Club which in turn got him several large Scholarships to College. Thank you, Mike McDonald.


Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things.
Steve Jobs

But the person who scored well on an SAT will not necessarily be the best doctor or the best lawyer or the best businessman. These tests do not measure character, leadership, creativity, perseverance.
William Julius Wilson

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.
Erich Fromm

Delete the subtitles

One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity.
Edward de Bono

Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.
James Russell Lowell

Proverbs 16:3
Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

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Matthew 7:21, 24-27 ~ build His house

Matthew 7:21

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 7:24-27

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

It's odd the things we remember clearly, like a conversation between my godmother, my mom and me long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away. :) My mother and godmother were grousing about putting up Christmas decorations. Momma paused, looked at my godmother to say, the children had really helped and wanted to help. My godmother laughed - all the ornaments go on waist high until the kids grow up and then they don't want to help. I said well at least we wanted to help. My godmother suggested next year I could help her. I retorted next year I planned to be so grownup, I wouldn't want to help. It was light-hearted, so everyone laughed.


2010-

It's that time of year.... the first time in 10 years I've had to build our artificial tree without the help of my sons, who are now in college. Yes... that project took me 3 days... I was calm the first 5 hours. By the 6th hour, I was like Moses, saying some pretty rash things; I even took a hammer to the metal inserts.

So...thinking back, back.... there were some years the Christmas gear went on happily and easily. First there was music planned to play in the background. There was part of the Christmas story read from Matthew 2. The time taken to say these decorations are to honor the Lord, not just to put up fuss. The focus is determined.

Houses are built with plans. First the Foundation - the rock of Jesus Christ. Even David, mighty King David told the Lord, His Father, in trust - I need Your help. And Solomon asked for help. Build His house. When You believe the Lord's promises to You, that open door allows God's Holy Spirit to dwell in You. You are His House, walking His plan.

Charles Schultz knew what he was writing about. I loved this program when it ran each year. Take it from me (sinner!), plan ahead, build your Christmas with Jesus as your rock. Reward your efforts with a planned relaxation to enjoy the fruit of your labors with your loved ones, in the true Spirit of Christmas.

 2013 ~ 
Nothing feels better than arriving at a solution that is a gift from God. So in 2011, we adopted the solution that Thanksgiving family visit time is a great time to put up that nine foot tall, four hour project to build that tree. Yay.

 And then 2013 rolled around and my sons were laughing when I entered the living room. What was so funny I asked them with a smile? They said they were taking rock, paper, scissors decision who would drive away with the TOP OF OUR CHRISTMAS TREE! WHAT? According to my sons, age 25 and 22, it was time to get another tree. Because, now lift your feet, the water is pretty um slippery - because I am so botanical - that I needed another tree that looks more real... Well. I'm botanical. But I'm also savvy to seasonal change - not the season of Christmas variety - but the season of that tree was pretty complex and its time to be in enjoyment of seasons with grown sons.

 And I'm a southern Scottish Jew, Episcopalian, Anglican, (descendant of James Lawrence Wilson, signer of the Declaration of Independence) who is going to find the best tree for sale on ebay and wait two weeks for that sucker like the old Mervyn's commercials. Open. Open. Open. And Edward did the nicest thing - he hates Christmas and should hum the Grinch song more - but he built the tree for me and was standing waiting for me to see that when I got home from my volunteer pregnancy assistance service.

(Where we all talk to people in the sexual trade, unwed moms, moms married with children, divorcing women, and mostly happy moms who decided for life, but also including abortion minded moms and fathers, pimps, rape victims, std testing for three diseases resulting from the complete, complex, lack of care people seeking love get from each other - revenge dating - and the untold media story of The Reality that the sexual climate is very dangerous and one of four women in the United States will have a sexual disease. But it would be absolutely fabulous to have a video of the women - all shapes, ages and races - who decide to valiantly strive for love and life - and go from curled up on our sofa's crying their eyes out trying to decide what to do when the baby's daddy has high-tailed - to brave and happy women who love their child and want homework and some comfort and talk for doing the heroic work of God gives life :) (Where the volunteers of PACN remind their clients God sits with us in love in all our adventures and misadventures and wants to say - come to HIM - get rest from being heavy laded - cast your cares upon HIM - He cares for you - and would immediately welcome you to His Higher Path. )

 How to have a Good Christmas ~ .

 ***** The good thing about Christmases with unusual circumstance is not to compare the rest of the world to you that particular year. We all have a year- like the year when Cal was born and about to die. No one gets out of a long life with a terrible Christmas or two. Fact of life.

I'm not perfect, But we've had some lovely Christmases.  We have young readers and young families with increasingly expensive teenage gifts.

 Once again I'm reminded - of the Virgins with oil lamps. Christmas does not have to be so stressful. Trim your lamps. At PACN, we traded stories about gifts given. The nicest gifts are when people are listening to you all year and surprise you with something they heard you say you wanted. Dickens makes a very valid point - keep Christmas in your heart all year. Buy small and medium gifts from January to November and Put Them In One Place!!! 

With some adventure and Joy - this is an easy way to do Christmas.

And Decorate the week of Thanksgiving when things have not become so rushed. Take advantage of October. Make Veteran's Day November 11, a goal for the majority of gifts.

This season is about being given... what we did not deserve. Life. This season is about giving. This season is about giving because we have been given more than any of us ever deserved. A man chose to experience our lives in the nano moments of pressure and beauty and was Grace upon Grace. He could have called down angel armies to go before and beside Him instead He proclaimed mercy over sacrifice. Christmas is about giving. It's the key to enjoying the season.

We reuse ornaments and bows and tape them to the boxes. Looks pretty and the come out of a box to be pretty under the tree. 

A good list and a day - a majority of things get accomplished. Then you don't have to be so crushed and be behind and be struck by the consumerism that - cmon - really masks dissatisfaction of our own lives compared to others. 

One of the things about being solutions oriented is to listen to what people are truly saying. This can be the hap, happiest season of all if - and only if - you don't see this as life analogy season. Jesus gave. Paying bills is responsibility - no doubt - but joy comes from giving. Giving that is relaxed and adventure oriented and not mall shopping driven is fun.

The Light that Lights all of mankind is in the world. Hallelu Yah!

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Isaiah 42:10-18 ~ Let them give glory to the LORD

Isaiah 42:10-18  ~  New Revised Standard Version

Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth!

Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.
Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy,
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the LORD,
and declare his praise in the coastlands.

The LORD goes forth like a soldier,
like a warrior he stirs up his fury;
he cries out, he shouts aloud,
he shows himself mighty against his foes.

For a long time I have held my peace,
I have kept still and restrained myself;
now I will cry out like a woman in labor,
I will gasp and pant.

I will lay waste mountains and hills,
and dry up all their herbage;
I will turn the rivers into islands,
and dry up the pools.

I will lead the blind
by a road they do not know,
by paths they have not known
I will guide them.

I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I will do,
and I will not forsake them.

They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame -—
those who trust in carved images,
who say to cast images,
"You are our gods."
Listen, you that are deaf;
and you that are blind, look up and see!






Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth!

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased!"


Sing for joy,
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.
Let them give glory to the LORD,
and declare his praise

And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this

And when they saw it, they made known
by a road they do not know,
by paths they have not known
I will guide them.

Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.


They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame -—those who trust in carved images, who say to cast images, "You are our gods."

And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”

Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

I will turn the darkness before them into Light.

There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world.

These are the things I will do, and I will not forsake them.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” Which means, God with us!

Acts 2:2-4
And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

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Romans 8:26 ~ the Spirit himself intercedes for us

It's the Christmas Shopping Final Push!!!
Here Comes Santa Claus,
Let's all give some applause.
As just maybe,
You'll shop while waiting for Santa Baby.

I was thinking about the Scripture passage - in

Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Even more than this mother does...

So if the Spirit intercedes for us, understanding our deepest longings better than we do...why should we rejoice in sufferings?

Romans 5:3
but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces...

this...

1 Peter 4:12
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you...

The boy in the video delights these problems are...
overwhelming
unusual
fiery


Now if we had presented to you Corrie ten Boom's experiences we could all agree hair shirts are not what a Good and Loving Father would ask His children to wear. When Paul, in the Power of the HOLY Spirit is saying that he rejoices in these sufferings...

He is saying... with Billy Graham ...

“I've read the last page of the Bible, it's all going to turn out all right.” ― Billy Graham

In no way shape or form is our Father God telling us that we should love to suffer. How Do Diamonds Form?

Contrary to what many people believe, most diamonds do not form from coal.

1) Diamond Formation in the Earth's Mantle - Like Noah's life - God specifically prophesies the wives of Noah’s three sons would be saved aboard the Ark, we know it took at least enough time for all three boys to grow up and get married! All three boys were NOT born at the same time: Genesis 10:21 tells us.

To be more clear, God starts with His Plans well before we are born.

2) Diamond Formation in Subduction Zones
God uses trouble in our lives, even our childhoods to help us see a path for us or a way around this. Jesus was called to live in Exile in Egypt as a child. Later the Gospels record during the Pharisee examinations of their lives Nazareth people saw the Blended family Joseph had with God's Son as being cohesive. We would spare our children trouble, God would have us have difficulties - - - to

Romans 5:
 knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

3) Diamond Formation at Impact Sites
Jesus tells us His family are those who do His Will. Jesus lets that cohesive family go to do His ministry. I doubt Jesus enjoyed saying no to His mother and saying more blessed are they who Do the Will of God.

4) Formation in Vast Spaces
As Jesus went to the cross, he adopted John. Doesn't this appear to be a return of evil for evil? Thinking people are a little shocked Jesus would give Mary to John. And Jesus even adopts Mary, as Mary is the one who would go with spices and beg to find Jesus.

The Most Convincing Evidence
Evil for Evil? Jesus also told us families would be divided over Him. Even Revelation says one person ascends and another does not. Is this suffering to be delighted in? No. God wants to save the world. Sending His Son to bring people to a higher place where corruption is not needed as people trust one another in the fulness of God's plan.

Does God want to be a builder of mankind?
Let's consider God's family - in Acts 2 we see Jesus' mother and brothers and sisters gather with the disciples to have fellowship and pray.  Jesus' family goes out to spread the Good News - John helps Mary and is single.

In the Church - in Two Millenniums - the gates of hell have not prevailed. The Light continues to shine.

Has the Goal of God changed? No. We celebrate Emmanuel - God is with us. For us. By us. In us. Moving within us and dwelling there. All the people of God we read about in Hebrews 11

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—


And the answer to rejoice in our sufferings is provided by Jesus

Hebrews 12
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.


These people did not want to suffer but instead

33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.

This was despising the shame - suffering - gives. The goal of God is to save the world. People for generations and millenniums have looked to God to provide them with miracles, provisions, and God provides us His Son to offer us Hope - the promises of God are for you. Faith - God is who He says and does not lie. Love - for who you are. How High, How Deep, How Wide, HOW Pervasive is the Love God has for us seeing us in His Eternal Kingdom fulfilled completely. He sees in you today - that you need a Savior and HE loves you TODAY. As you are. Lifting you up, building you, encouraging you because Jesus tells us again and again and again - His warehouse does not run out of blessings and HE wants you in His Kingdom.

Come with HIM to a Higher Path. Where Jesus is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Come to Him and expect to see.

Isaiah 6
I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the traina of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

God seeks to remove suffering -

Isaiah 25
He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces;
he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth!

The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."


THIS IS THE LORD!!!

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