Psalm 29 ~ The voice of the Lord is over the waters +

Psalm 29 ~ New Revised Standard Version

The voice of God upon the waters

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
worship the Lord in holy splendor.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, "Glory!"

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Today I thought about the stress of some many hospital visits out of town for two months and I thought I am ready and willing for vacation.

Father God hears us. We had an invitation from Fran to go the Hillsong Movie. And that was lovely. Really lovely to see and sing along with such beautiful people and see how Jesus has touched their lives spilling over into their travels and in their homes. Singing Praise was a new movie going experience. Seeing the generations of Hillsong. Fabulous. Really Fabulous.

Like a small glimpse of Heaven to see all of the Jesus Praise. Brian Houston and his wife Bobbie began when Brian was 25 years old.  How sweet to see Brian enjoy God's successes in his own life. Continuing into the new generation with Joel.
  


I had whispered I was ready for vacation waters, and Edward suggested the new Pappacito on the porch. Fabulous to see the fountains flow, the strong breeze, the patio celebrates the gifts God gives us of sight, touch of the fan, and hearing the pools and fountains.

This morning when I got up, I really could feel God's mercies renew. In His Abundant giving, God gave again. More renewal. Peace.


Father God,
Let the brothers and sisters pray for one another, that the Word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among us.

We rely upon you, for my sons' travels that they may be delivered safely and with comfort. We bless Your Name.

The Lord is faithful. He will establish us and guard us against all evil. We have confidence and assurance in the Lord.

Father we plan on doing Your will, to do the things You command.

May Our Father Lord direct our hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ Jesus.

We will not weary of doing good.

Now, this very day, may our Father Lord of peace Himself give us peace, at all times, in every way.

We believe and affirm our Lord will be with all. We lift up our concerns of health and of care. We lift up Love and Joy with Life. We lift up those we Love and their cares and concerns. The people who call upon Jesus all over the world. The preservation of the beauty of His earth.

And the blessing of November elections prayed and covered in the Name of Jesus. AMEN.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Jeremiah 31 ~ a nation before Me forever

Jeremiah 31

31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.

33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”


35 Thus says the Lord,
who gives the sun for light by day
and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,

who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—
the Lord of hosts is his name:

36 “If this fixed order departs
from before me, declares the Lord,
then shall the offspring of Israel cease
from being a nation before me forever.”

37 Thus says the Lord:
“If the heavens above can be measured,
and the foundations of the earth below can be explored,
then I will cast off all the offspring of Israel
for all that they have done,
declares the Lord.”


38 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. 40 The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the Lord. It shall not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”





Father God makes changes. And He stays the same. When Jeremiah was giving us the real hope from the puppet state of Nebuchadnezzar II - where the false uncle king (Mattaniah) would not be a proper puppet - Jeremiah spoke of real hope from the prison pit of King David's Palace.


We are all pretty sure the world is in bad shape. The news indicates bad weather, bad politics, unrest, rising costs, social situations we thought to never dwell on. And some people say abandon Israel - too much of a religious mess - flee - focus on Syria, or Libya. No.


Balance. Jeremiah was seeking not just to sound ridiculous speaking of God's Salvation and Plan from the pit inside the late King David's palace. He was speaking to those who knew the nation of Judah was going down for the final fall after a  2nd and 3rd invasion of Babylon. They saw and new and were in fear and denial of real trouble. The people felt Jeremiah's timing was off. The Holy Spirit did not.

Today, people want to have a state without religion. Oppressive morality. All laws indicate morality! We have seen the pendulum swing wildly from the USA Congress hosting Presbyterian Churches on Sunday until the 1950s. We have seen Prohibition and the release in under a hundred years. We question if these are the end times.




Jefferson

And Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand fought those who wanted their Christian nations to end.

This was Not Mild Trouble to them. This was life ending and crushing. And Israel did not exist.


War. Not one Empire on earth was ever created without war. Now sometimes Empires merge, but usually there is horrible war.



Have we ever had a time where marriage fell to 50%. Yes. The 1500s A.D.

Have we ever had a time where Church was considered to be in a falling state like the Pew Report of 2% attrition. In Israel. In Judah of the Bible.   Josiah - the famous king of Judah - had an archeological discovery. An amazing discovery lost for generations = THE BIBLE. The Scriptures were FOUND. What? Scriptures were gone from Judah. From the Temple of God.

And The 1500s. Right after "The Renaissance" - The Latin withheld what? The Word of God was withheld. The clergy were 50% cohabiting or marrying illegally. (Doesn't that make you wonder what a Renaissance really is???)


Jeremiah 31 is alive. We have forgotten most people pray and instead we grab saying they don't pray well or don't hope or just judge the prayers. A mere ten years ago we were publishing that Christianity was 2/3 rd's of the World.

Jeremiah 31 says when Israel exists - the faithful should have awe. God is on the move. Jefferson - no Israel. Queen Isabelle - no Israel. Black Plagues - when the world didn't have enough workers to bring in and plant food - incredible death - No Israel. 70 million killed by Mongols - No Israel.

The early Church had no Israel and felt that 200 A.D with freak weather that was incredible - was the end of the planet.



We won't know. Jesus said would He find faith when He was to return. Revelations would say no.








Redbook 2016

What social occurrence could we point to and have hope? What leaf is on the fig tree? What is our sign? 56% of people sacrificially give up benefits to raise children. There are no firm statistics of how many women own their own business to be at home. 6% of Fathers stay home. 57% of fathers say being a father is a key point in the identity Most Fathers say they spend as much time with their kids as their own parents and want more time.







Why focus on parenting? God does. Yep. Our Father.



I read the worst actually, very, last century, famous evangelism recently... A man confronted his parish on being phony. He said that they contributed nothing to making the Church more loving. He said that isolation and meaningless life was all the fault of the congregation - doing nothing to prove to the world at large that the Church is loving.

A father does not evoke positive change in this manner:

"Kids, we want a family meeting. Your mom and I were looking over the condition of our world and we have decided this: Frank, Betty, Lugaid, Ragnarr, Alfonso, Ivayla and Spike. We are not happy with you kids. You aren't adding to us. Where is the benefit to us? You don't bring in more kids. In fact we have decided that you kids are really flawed. You - Frank - you don't love Ragnarr - you are out. Ivayla you failed to do all that we wanted of you. Out. If you all can't be more loving and kind and please us more - well it's the fryer."

This is about as loving as the practice of medieval times of swaddling a child to be hooked on the wall.

That looks - zero - of Jesus.

Can you think of one time Jesus said to his disciples that they were the rise and fall of God's Plans. No.

Jesus said to people about His death, "Days will come, when you hunger to see what miracles have been done here."

We don't love Jesus because we are told - "...you stink."

Jesus is right again. We love Jesus because we have the New Covenant. We know exactly who Jesus really is. Jesus is the One we hunger and thirst for - wanting to see His glory. Even a glimpse of His Glory.

We want to say to Jesus - wait - "I want to be one of the few people who thank You - Again." I saw what Jesus did for someone I know. I saw miracles and answered prayers happen. We want the Light of Christ Jesus to shine brighter and brighter.

If you gather the faithful in a room and say, "Tell me about Jesus, you love." You are going to find hearts are warmed. You will see Jesus is Loved. Loves in return. We want more of the real Son of God, Jesus. The people who Love Jesus have a story to tell. Their own story. Stories of what can only be called a miracle. Telling us - Yes Jesus Answers Prayers. Jesus is Alive. He Lives. You will hear of Jesus saying "NO" and finding out that answer was the best answer ever.

Now ask the faithful who they have dearly loved and wonder and have concern for their dearly loved one - "Do you Love Jesus?" And consider - even the people we mildly know - who we have seen the seed parable actually happen. Good life crowds out ol' Church. Thorns rush in - covering up hope and faith. Nicks and dust cover up good intentions.

We have to love Jesus and understand the destination. We have to be warmed by Jesus to want to tell the ones we Love. We have to really contemplate what the destination is for...chilly.

How will you tell about Jesus? You tell about the One you Love - Who is Good. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you. You tell your personal encounter with Jesus. Because your Love should not be ridiculed.

Ridicule. Israel? There were times in history people did not believe Israel existed more than Camelot. Before the amazing unearthing of continual artifacts from the Bible - my generation was told Pontius Pilate was a myth. That the Hittite Empire never existed - fantasy. One by one by one - God's Word proves again and again - Truth.

Ridicule. And surely this will sometimes happens just as spouses hear their spouse decried. And parents are told their children are forlorn. But when Real Love is here - Jesus is going to shine brighter and brighter and brighter.



The only requirement Father God has for us is faith. And if we have this faith, surely our words can keep trying to release Love.

Father God,

You've given us Acts 7, we take our shoes off, lift our feet off the ground to speak with You, the Almighty. We receive living Word passed to us.

We want to abide in You and see Your glory. Obeying Your Word. Remembering the sacrifice You want is Thanksgiving. Being like Joshua, balancing Your goodness and Love to flow out as refreshing Living Water.

Lord Jesus receive the Spirit of this Prayer to fill up our lives, hearts, and homes with Your Love. Fill those we Love. Fill our communities, Churches, cities, Nation, those who Call to You in Love.

We look for Your Glory. More Heaven on earth. In Jesus, we know Your Will is Good. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

John 1:12 ~ children of God

John 1:12
To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God


John 10:10
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

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.


One of the most Christian families I know raised three girls to love Jesus. How? The second daughter asked her mom, at age 5, in front of another mom, "Why is that man on a letter + ?" Abundant life happened from a very amazing and embarrassing moment.

Remember the Exodus. God was providing a way forward. The LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind. Any wind that directed could have picked them up and delivered them to their destination.

So what is Jesus, who could have lived in palaces telling us about Abundant Life?

Cherish where He places you. Love God. Trust God. Do His calling. His Will is a hope and a future. Trust God for the abrupt changes. Let the process be given time.

I went to my Bible Study last night and we discussed how to love each other. And taking care of a lot of ill and ailing relatives. This is a calling. Creating a Hope and a Future. The hope of interesting young adults in Jesus as life journey begins. God says if we truly abide in His Will, His Word, ask Him to move mountains.


The most impressive messages of changes lives comes from living life as it is - with new perspective. Changed hearts. Allowing for the fact that some hearts will not change and still having joy and hope.

My Grandmother Anita did huge outreach and education in her Church. Her life was quiet and got quieter as she aged. Her vim did not dim. And she was poor - leading one family member to say she was unblessed. However Grandmother knew to her bones she was blessed. And grateful and happy.


Look at Corrie Ten Boom. She was not going to convert the Nazi's to Jesus. And still - she endured with perseverance and courage until life met her with no family and only a clock shop. Corrie Ten Boom taught the world what Abundant Life is.

Ray Stedman put these two stories together:

Many of you remember from World War II the story of Jacob De Shazer, one of the members of Colossians. Doolittle's crew who bombed Tokyo early in World War II. He was captured by the Japanese and put in prison. He hated his Japanese captors and was so violent and vicious that his captors feared him because he himself feared nothing they did to him. They kept him in solitary confinement because of the hatred with which he lashed out against them. But in a remarkable way he obtained a copy of the Bible, and began to read it through. Reading through that book, in the loneliness of his cell, he came to realize the life that is in Jesus Christ. There came an amazing change over this man. His hatred of the Japanese changed completely. He began to love his captors and to show love toward them, and they were utterly astonished by what had happened to him. Instead of burning with wrath, resentment, and viciousness against them, he became the most docile of prisoners, eagerly cooperating with his captors, and praying for them.

Eventually, the story of his change of heart was written up in a little tract, and, after the war, it fell into the hands of a young Japanese, Captain Mitsuo Fuchida, the man who led the air raid against Pearl Harbor, and who gave the command to drop the bombs on that fateful day of December 7. Mitsuo Fuchida was a hero in Japan after the war because of that exploit and others, but his own heart was empty. Somehow he read the tract that told the story of De Shazer's amazing change of heart. He was arrested by the story and puzzled by it. From somewhere he obtained a New Testament and began to read it with growing interest and amazement. At last he came to the story of the crucifixion. When he read the Lord's words from the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34), his heart broke. He realized that this One who could love his enemies and pray for those who persecuted him and despitefully used him, was manifesting a quality of life that no natural human being could possibly show. Mitsuo Fuchida became a Christian. Some of you may remember that he gave his testimony in the early days of Peninsula Bible Church, while we still met at the Community Center. Now he is an evangelist going up and down Japan telling forth the story of a love that can change human hearts.

Both of these stories are of Jesus. Corrie came home and thrived with a bankrupt start. And the prisoner changed his prison. So much so a hater was filled with love. And evangelized the Nation.


Sometimes life does not offer spectacular change for internal change. People grouse and fuss. Because life offers us a storm that it offered - the day before. And we offer to be a harbor. Where safety dwells. A much desired harbor of comfort. Giving security giving security. Whatever the journey brings, Love is dwelling and will be here tomorrow. Where the hearth brings comfort not just in giving, but being given grace to as well. The steady durability of the Light, brings the best knowledge our life matters to those we love. How fortunate to give this harbor. How Good of Father God to help us to be light bringers to the people we love. Giving us the steady glow of His Love Earnest, Dependable, Enduring within us.


We give what God has given us.

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.










John is the disciple who called upon Jesus to call fire down. And later understood the heart of Father God who gave up his Son. Unbelievable. Undeniable.

1 John 4:10
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.


The face on Rembrandt's painting. The Father. The Father is the Son.

God could have given Jesus anything.



Father God allowed Jesus to face the most harsh circumstance in life. To know there is Hope still. And as all these people faced a wall - something changed.

Light was found for all of these people - in the dark.





All of these people encountered the (Thee) unimaginable.




And found this in Jesus Christ.


John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.


And where did God, Father God, place this light found in the concentration camp, in the Japanese solitary, and in the defeated warrior?


John 1:4
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

Within.

Corinthians 4:18
We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Within!!!


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


How will we sustain our Life and Light?

John 17:3
 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.



Ok, we have said before that Jesus is the Light within mankind. Salvation is a gift. We reflect in our lives. We know what we know what we know what God does for us.


But look at the examples of Abundant Life. That would seem to be, work with what you have, to the best of pleasing God, Reach out.



Our Father, You have given us Your Word in Acts 1:

May our words pray with Jesus and come home to our own hearts with great power.

Help us to take honest, genuine assessment and ask for Your Grace and Forgiveness of our flaws and sin, calling on the Name of Jesus Christ. Let's invite the Holy Spirit again with all love and sincerity. When we abide in His Words, we are going to live, move and have our being knowing His Promises are not just for us, our children, but for all who are far off. A generation unborn. The far side of the earth, for all whom the Lord our Father God will call.

May we realize ~ we are to be salt. Light. Grant us wisdom as a fire within us - to reply as Jesus did, to the need the Holy Spirit perceives. to us that we may let that life show. Let us respond to the feelings You well up within us from Your Holy Spirit, to the impulses to be kind, to be courteous. To be in bold reproof bringing us to Jesus. Make us able to educate. Make us quick, Lord, to respond to these. We ask in the Highest name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who loved us with that kind of love, Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †

Hosea 14 ~ Take with you Words and return to the Lord

Hosea 14

1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God,
for you have stumbled because of your iniquity.


2 Take with you words
and return to the LORD;
say to him,
"Take away all iniquity;
accept what is good,
and we will pay with bulls
the vows of our lips.


3 Assyria shall not save us;
we will not ride on horses;
and we will say no more, 'Our God,'
to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy."

4 I will heal their apostasy;
I will love them freely,
for my anger has turned from them.

 
5 I will be like the dew to Israel;
he shall blossom like the lily;
he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;

 
6 his shoots shall spread out;
his beauty shall be like the olive,
and his fragrance like Lebanon.

7 They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow;
they shall flourish like the grain;
they shall blossom like the vine;
their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

8 O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols?
It is I who answer and look after you.
I am like an evergreen cypress;
from me comes your fruit.

9 Whoever is wise, let him understand these things;
whoever is discerning, let him know them;
for the ways of the LORD are right,
and the upright walk in them,
but transgressors stumble in them.

Recently I took with me the Words of the Lord.

This is a Lamp to my feet and lights my Way.

I read in Luke 2 ~ "My eyes have seen salvation"
and in Psalm 91 ~ "my eyes have seen the wicked fall"
and in Acts 2 ~ "The Lord is always before me"

And truly, the fruit has been, to reconsider my thoughts and I have found supreme comfort.
The Comfort of the Holy Spirit, these three Chapters gave me assurance.

Father God,

We give thanks for Your Word. Where many signs and wonders are regularly done among the people by the hands of the believers.

The Togetherness of the generations of families alive in Christ Jesus.

The people hold each other in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.

In the sight of Jesus the Lord, Abba, in His Holy Spirit, those even carried out as the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as even the Name of Jesus, His Power and His Love might fall on them.

The people also gathered from the Nations around Jerusalem, they were the sick and those afflicted and they were all healed.

We pray for more Heaven on earth. We look at Today with Jesus. All things are Possible in Jesus. We thank you for the Lion and the Lamb. We Thank You that You are our Father. For all the days we will Sing Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. Today.

We lift up our cares, our loved ones. The Joy of God. His Unfailing Love and Promises. His Blessing upon us as we pray. For our communities, Churches, States, Nation, and for all who call Upon Jesus. For the rescue of Christians from being burned alive. We thank You for Your Help and answered prayer. Glory to God who gives Life. Words of Life. Thank You, Thank You Holy, Holy, Holy Jesus. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves!  †