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

Psalm 100 For giving thanks.

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

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!



Know that the Lord, he is God!

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

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


Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!


For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

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


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

Prince Rogers Nelson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Take me away!

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Mark 4:1-20 ~ growing up and increasing

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

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

Mark 4   ~Revised Standard Version

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"He who has ears, let him hear."

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

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

Psalm 30

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Jesus was not announced as unattractive.

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


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


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

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


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


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matthew 28

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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


Thank you Father God for Your Son, Jesus. 

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Romans 5: 6-11 ~ rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ

1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

1 John 3:5
You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.



Romans 5: 6-11
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Mark 15:21-22

And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull).

1 John 2:2
He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

John 11:25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

John 10:17-18
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”





Isaiah 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:1-12
Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Loved the acoustic David Crowder reflecting His Love.

This is Good Friday. Easter has yet to arrive. Pope John Paul II, Pappa said, "We are the Easter people and Alleluia is our song."

The Stations of the Cross, from The Via Dolorosa (Latin "Way of Sorrows") is a street, in two parts, within the Old City of Jerusalem.

Some will sing of God's mercies renewing us, taking our burdens.

We celebrate Jesus. 


1 Timothy 2: 5
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus 

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John 15 ~ abide in Me

John 15

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.

10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin,[c] but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

Isaiah 6:3
And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."


On Good Friday - How can we do less than consider Heaven - God's Gift and Promise to us?

God Displays to us small glimpses of His Glory.

If We Abide in HIM...

The botanical truth is that grapevines live 50 to 70 years depending on their variety. At age 3, they begin to provide fruit, as the grapevines age, they diminish - not producing as much fruit.

Rita Lotti was born in 1381 in Roccaporena, Italy. In the Province of Umbria, Italy. Rita had an amazing and difficult life.

A 600 year old grapevine, planted by Rita is a live today. The only other grapevine in the world to even come close to this amazing miracle is 400 years old and located in Yarra, Slovenia. Perhaps it would be a good time to tell you, Rita's Roses are also still alive and bloom in the garden. Yes, you know it, this woman is a Saint. Saint Rita of Cascia. Link - to her live of devotion and the fruit still alive today. Rita's life is too amazing to believe, but the proof is still alive. If you still feel a little sceptically, you can google the photos from the vine in Yarra, Slovenia and you will know Rita's vine is the real deal.

Rita's Grapevine grows from under her window and covers the convent.

Psalm 80:14-15 

Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,  the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.

We pray our  lives hold the actions & power of God. On Good Friday, we consider Jesus and what He has given His Life for - for you.

1. Believe God specifically creates us to live within His plan. 
2. Believes in the success of our godly desires/lives, even with insurmountable circumstances. 
3. Want to give God's love, to shepherd the people around them. Give love and care.





Genesis 1:12
The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

The idea of God Himself having gratitude -  How can we do less than to be cultivators of gratitude. Realizing our lives are gifts.

Genesis 3:8
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day

Revelations tells us God's plan, from beginning to end.

Revelation 21:3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God."

Acts 17:28
For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’


Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.




 Father God, each day, we put our hands out to You. Give us Your love to do the plan for us. In the power, love and glory of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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