Galatians 5:22-23 ~ Self Control

Galatians 5:22-23

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy and

And what can we say to the 4 in 10 marriages involve remarriage in the USA according to Pew Research of 2015. 38% to 31% are interested in the moral and religious beliefs.



 

The  Pew Reports show this as well !

About half of first marriages in the U.S. are likely to survive at least 20 years, according to government estimates.

One demographic group, marriages last longer than most: College-educated women have an almost eight-in-ten chance of still being married after two decades.

College-educated men also stand out. Roughly two-thirds (65%) of men with a bachelor’s degree could expect that, if they marry, their first marriage will last 20 years or longer. Which would, of course, be 2/3rd's of marriages.

College-educated adults are more likely to be married than less-educated adults.

If we want grim news we can find that. But if we want Good News - this is available too.


2 Peter 1:5-7

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.


We are fed the most sensational news to down play the stability of our culture.


1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

We always say the Exodus is spectacular and then say Mose's Pentitude is not interesting. However, as we are pumped full of sour news about our culture. Most of the Huge Blessings of the Bible surround the Law.

Deuteronomy 28

28 “Now, if you will be careful to obey the Lord your God and follow all his commands that I tell you today, the Lord your God will put you high above all the nations on earth. 2 If you will obey the Lord your God, all these blessings will come to you and be yours:

3
“He will bless you
in the city and in the field.
4
He will bless you
and give you many children.
He will bless your land
and give you good crops.
He will bless your animals
and let them have many babies.
He will bless you with calves and lambs.
5
He will bless your baskets and pans
and fill them with food.
6
He will bless you at all times
in everything you do.

7 “The Lord will help you defeat your enemies who come to fight against you. Your enemies will come against you one way, but they will run away from you seven different ways!

8 “The Lord will bless you and fill your barns. He will bless everything you do. The Lord your God will bless you in the land that he is giving you. 9 If you follow the Lord your God and obey his commands, he will do what he promised. The Lord will make you his own special people.





2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Romans 12

be transformed
by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.



Abba,

Help us to what is good and pleasing to You. What you regard in us as perfect.

We are many people, but in Christ we are all one body. We are the parts of that body, and each part belongs to all the others.

We all have different gifts. Each gift arrives from Your Grace. Our love must be real. Help put away what is evil.

Help Your Kingdom be at hand in celebrating what is good.

Let Love deepen in a way that makes us feel close like brothers and sisters.

Help us to give freely honor

In seeing people serve God, like the Louisiana floods. People who help and welcome.

Pray only good for those who treat you badly. Joel Olsteen wisely suggests rather far away over there. Ask God to bless them.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand when others are happy, you are happy with them.

Live together in peace with each other.

And we will please You praying for the people we love and the people and situations You've given and we have seen. In Jesus we surround all of these with Your Love. Amen in Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †

Psalm 107 ~ thank the Lord for his steadfast love

Psalm 107

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.

6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.

13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.

15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.

17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.

39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

Joel 2:11
The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it?


Today, Edward wisely picked not to view the sky and the trees and the clouds. He picked to face Starbucks. I sat to see the sky, the horizon with Pine trees, the clouds, the architecture of the roof, the wind in the Live Oaks. And the Pedestrians. We were having a good time. Edward was recovery from his trip to the Dermatologist with some hope this would be benign. The bump near his nose was in exactly the same place as a family member we prayed diligently for who has a large surgery there.

We discussed passing on, how to, dinner, Disc Golf, sons, disc golf carts. I thought about Proverbs 3 deciding to find Joy by Trusting God. And the traffic rolled by. Soon, I idly noticed a silver truck turning as just as quickly a bicyclist as the truck rolled about 5 mph as his bumper wasn't damaged. The bicyclist appeared for the split second to miss the collision as the brakes jammed and let up slowly. But cars lurch. And the bicyclist rolled up on the hood and the cries of the 30 people all hoped the bicyclist would stay on the hood. And instead he quickly rolled off became entangled in the bike and landed so hard, so hard, so hard. And he cried out "Help, Help, Help I'm so Hurt." We looked for blankets and 911 and stood calling. My call went through first of all the dialers. And first responders rushed to the street. And the young man would live. This was not going to be a Day of the LORD. He did not have a broken spine! His comprehension did not fade. He did not pass out. There would not be brain damage. His knee was injured he would not be damaged to be moved to the Ambulance.

The Police arrived Very Quickly and 30 people waited and, like me probably, prayed for the man with the truck driver at his side. The first thing we found out, was the Medic gave his name and released custody to the other two first responders - two Doctors and one Medic.

Witnesses agreed in testimony. One of the Officers I had met in 2013 at our house during an alarm visit. This was actually the third time I've met him and we discussed in the second meeting where he'd give me his card and I'd pray for him - the card remains in my Bible. Did he remember - no. But I tell you what I may pray for you - but I am not about to sound cheesy telling you THAT. (Although I will tell Scripture for Today Blogspot!)

And we will pray for the man with the injured knee riding in the Ambulance. And the driver who lived through - this is not happening with diligence.








We are not the only people enduring rough times. The people enduring Hurricane Matthew are still enduring Hurricane Matthew.

For us Hurricane Ike at 143 mph roaring through Houston in 2008 will be remembered for a long time. We lost Isabelle - our daughter was born premature and stillborn due to the barometric pressure in Hurricanes.

What happens when you go through this. Sometimes you will relive it.

Have you ever lived through a Hurricane? 

The kind of Hurricane where your family calls you from 900 miles and urge you to run?  It's the size of the Whole of the Gulf Of Mexico? Please leave."


During  Hurricane Ike, our bedroom vent started to pour water on the bed. Our sons were arranged strategically from our neighbor, who had done wind studies on an oil refinery for safety during the hurricane. God Bless our neighbor, Dick. And God Bless Dee and Cindy who came over for an hour to pray for safety for the house and family. And we all sat on my sofa and prayed Earnestly.

So. Edward was told, and coerced to go put pans in the attic. Turns out as he was up there, the tornado of the neighborhood arrived! Poor Edward! That Hit the first two backyards in the block and ours. Damage was done. A tree top was spun in a circle and flung lakeside. The  second tree went next, the grand old lady I loved was the size of small sequoia and leaned with great care on the neighbor's house. Let me add, frankly, he did Not appreciate that Act of God. Or the one that followed in 2012. Like the trees groped his house - he acted with such effrontery.

Dreams.
Six years later the dreams began.


The Biblical Number Three.

In the first dream, we were home during Hurricane Ike. The dream would not relent. I'd say it was thirty minutes of reliving the Hurricane, the tornado and beautiful Isabelle. 
During a Hurricane, you don't know if your 3 Foot Diameter Tree is now a missile. 
You don't know if the big windows will explode. 
You don't know if the roof won't lift off (because it sure sounds like it will) and you will be left in the storm of some magnitude. 
With Tornadoes. 
Houses make the most amazing sounds in Category Four Hurricanes. 
I'd say leave if you can. Really.

Well my reaction to this Amazing Dream. Get up, go to the bathroom with the thought at the back of my mind - fussy, fussy with God. Climbing back into bed - I was Less Than Pleased. Poor God. Sometimes you have to have Compassion on the God - John, who walked with Jesus, called Love.

Back to sleep, slept for hours.



The next dream ~
I was returning to the salad days - two bedroom house we lived in and had that cottage cute as a bug. With my now very grown Alexander, youngest son and his ex GF. In the dream, this was still home. And it was the day after Christmas. I was astonished to find, not the one new Christmas tree we bought when the boys told me to get a new one and I'm so pleased with it, but multiple, multiple, multiple Christmas trees, with the actual new one collapsed. "Oh well." Ashley politely said with faux, but cheer you up, cheer.

I couldn't get over the damage and was crushed and perplexed by the tons and tons of Christmas trees I'd obviously have to clean up. And the embarrassment at the over the top Christmas trees like a forest. The best was yet to come. The house was stacked every single   item you could think of: canned goods, old greeting cards, thread, yarn, stuffed animals. None of the like that belonged to me. Obviously, something had gone very wrong. And top that off with Xander knew it with me. And we were trying to be nonchalant to Xander's ex GF visiting.



Making too much of something.
Forgetting to see the Basics.
Putting mountains of stuff over what is really important. 

Using anger at God to not see the whole picture.
Like Thanking God to live through Hurricane and Tornado and having the people you need live.


The next dream was reality.

A return to an vintage, lake side hotel we visited a lot when I was a child. I met people I haven't really seen in a long time. And Edward was being very hept up about the recent five year events causing visits to the specialist doctors. My college roommate was offering Edward style commentary from her resting place. And all I wished was he would hush and calm down. It was so aggravating seeing all the emotions churned up, the pent up anxiety. Just give me a little peace for God's Sake!

And I woke up to see, that of course, the emotional reaction was me. And if you had drama trauma - you'd want a heck of a lot less fuss. 

I was Edward in the dream.

So with that I have much more gratitude for what was, what should be appreciated, and what should be Cherished.

Life gives you twists and turns. But GOD BLESS THE ONES WHO RISE UP WITH YOU TO MEET THEM. ESPECIALLY When GOD gives you the dream to remember What You Have. And BE GRATEFUL.  









Psalm 134

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

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

Call it the Bottom Line.
Call it the Rock we stand on.

What God does for us.

Once you've seen how serious life gets, rejoice each day for the day holds good and sufficiency.

God is so powerful that the faithful endure Concentration Camps and find new life.

We can take what really bothers us and hold this up to God. That blue sky - is not a ceiling. There never is a ceiling. Really. The Universe is the Creation of the Almighty. Maybe you can't even see the night sky in the beauty seen in Africa or the rural areas - but that sky is there. Like Father God.

What we are building is like this too. Endurance. Joy. Belief. What we build is exactly the opposite of the Universe we live in. What we build is so small that we don't even realize we are building the eternal within us. Each day is creating. We just have to believe this. Do we believe we are creating?

The Prodigal's Father is hoping we return Home.

When do we get the chance to be new? Every day. With belief that God's sufficiency is in the Mercies Renew Each Day. Some days you need to get a compass, map and magnifying glass, but this is Ask and Find.

Are we missing the Larger LIFE? The One Jesus says is ABUNDANT. The abundance is in your soul. This is where you have to believe that with the help of Jesus - You are Good, Pleasing, Acceptable, Gifted, and Trying to please the Father of the no ceiling world - leading to the Universe - lives within you and IS PLEASED TO LOVE AND REJOICE IN YOU.

If your 'backyard/soul' is so small that you think nothing is going on - you have forgotten Father GOD understands your DNA better than anyone. The red, white and other blood cells are easy to Him. And what you build you find small - finds Delight in His Eyes. His Heart. His Plan. His ability to have the Universe and be Jesus who knows your name calls you to come down from your tree and go "Home" with Him.


LORD FATHER GOD, who has all the Power in His Word to Create the Entire Universe comfort us, guide us, strengthen us and empower and embolden us to be the generation refusing to yield within our own struggles -  to SEE the Vast Father and the Intimate God.
 
Let us not shrink from understanding that GOD just might have a Plan and HIS Plan is more worthy than Scripture says we can understand. We have to lean to You, in Faith.

 God is our completion, the summation, the complication of HIS Amazing Promises to us who believe in Jesus the Lord.

What great Love the Father has lavished on us, we Are called Children of God! And that is what we are! God HAS shown His love sending His one and only Son, Jesus.  Can we imagine Jesus given for just us.  This is the ability of God who recently revealed actual light is created at conception of a human life.

We should  Live through Jesus Christ the Lord!

 Give us the Day and Help US to forgive sins that we also commit. Strengthen us each day to go to sleep saying I think I pleased God and smile because we Did.

And let us never, never, never give up that in the diligence - the un-applauded - this is where we will meet God and He will be pleased because He is Love. GOD supports us in the small part of life that becomes LIFE. God raises up Barnabas. Because He encourages YOU and me.

What difference can we make - an unseen difference. God is moving His Hands in Love when we pray. We can pray and God says welcome to being part of My Plan. We can really pray the large prayers.  For the rapidly changing times to have Jesus. And know Jesus is here.

Father God, we lift up those in suffering, in bicycle accidents, in truck driving barely moving accidents and knowing the biker will walk away sometime. We pray for the bicyclast to heal well and easily and completely.  The diligence of the driver having the worst driver day who will go forth again. He endures. We pray for face bumps to heal amazingly well. We thank GOD for wellness. And truth. The community who prays has hope, faith and Love. We put the ones we love there and the large Nation and Larger World we don't see but place in Bigger Hands with Clearer Vision.

Amen Jesus the Wonderful Jesus.


Romans 5

1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

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!

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †

Luke 7:36-50 ~ He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke 7:36-50

36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.

37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.

39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”

40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.”

And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 

44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.

46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much.

But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”

50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”





Beware of practicing your Piety loudly in front of Jesus. Yesterday we talked about the ungrateful heart of the man who was healed after 38 years beside the Pool of Bethesda. And I woke up grumpy with the world. Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

It's difficult work to accuse people of doing wrong. Might reveal your own heart. And I realized being grumpy at the whole world is probably when you know you overshot your own place.

When you think you are the woman kissing Jesus and really you are Simon.

The Bible does not really have coincidences. Simon in this story is not Peter and, yet, could be. We see several James - all are indeed the Spiritual brother of Jesus. His brother doing the Will of God.

We find the sad daughter of Herodias is abused by her mother to ask for the death of a good, faithful prophetic John the Baptist. And later we find a Salome at the foot of the Cross of Jesus and later carrying spices for Jesus' body.

This is important, this is an allegory of the journey in life.

God does not have coincidences. He tells us we learn from every Word of God.

Perhaps Michelangelo had thought of Salome, The Altar has a painting of the Pope's Biagio da Cesena (1463–1544) was a 16th-century Italian official who served as Papal Master of Ceremonies. Rumor for many years said he was painted as both angel and fallen by Michelangelo. Historians today say Biagio da Cesena was only painted as fallen for being a critic of the Sistine Chapel.



Father God, our Abba,

We pray with supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for senators, representatives, governors, vice presidents and presidents and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all

We pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling. We are saved through wanting to provide a safe, good and respectful life for our children. We continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

We ask for our Nation to find purely peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere leaders.

We are petitioning Father God for Him to bless and keep this generation with so many changes. That His Face will shine upon those who are in need of Him. That Abba will be gracious to this culture and time. That our Merciful God will Lift His Face upon us, to smile with His favor and help us to be at Peace being Covered with the Name of Jesus.

We will never cease to pray for the people God has placed in our lives, those we Love. We will pray with Hope for our cares and for this Nation. The Churches of Jesus Christ the Lord. And for the people all lifting prayers to our Lord. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

 

John 5:5-17 ~ the pool where the water is stirred up

John 5:5-17

5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 

7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 

8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 

11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” 

12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 

13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 

15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 

16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 

17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

And doesn't it make you angry the man was healed and he sought to tell them who healed him? This is surely one of the nine lepers.


Luke 17
12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”




Continuing with John 5 -
What a man - not. Was this man irked he had spent 38 years waiting to be healed? He explained how the system worked to Jesus. He did not exactly ask to be healed with great enthusiasm. Maybe he liked his life at the pool. Maybe misery was his way of life. Like a Hobbit Ring. A preciousss. He surely did not go away with sin no more.

Jesus dealt with snakes.

Psychology - Why did God ask Moses to hold up a serpent when the Children of Israel complained the desert wasn't all that? I think God was saying this, "Don't bury your complaints - be real - be genuine - be yourself. Let's not pretend the Good Ship Lollypop is the desert. But My Plan was you wanted out of the desert so badly you'd do the Will of God bravely against the Philistines. Not Complain Against Your Abba." So the serpent is look at the Philistine, look at the problem and remain on the side of the Lord - ready, willing and able to do His Plan. Remain honorable in the conversations to the Lord God. And not live in denial of real serpents and real Philistines and real desert. With a false prayer life. With living on Scripture Subtitles and not the cry of the Psalmist.

God was willing to have Moses hold up a snake, knowing mankind would eventually worship the snake until King Hezekiah had the snake from the time of Moses destroyed for idol worship. In the same way that Aaron was so loved, even if he would enter into the Holy of Holies making a mess. God overlooks messes to find the person. God is for us person by individual person.





I know a man, who like we did, lost an infant. And he tried to cope. And in the next two weeks upon loosing his infant, saw an intense thunderstorm - scheduled to last the night. He took outside, in the harsh elements, a fifth of Bourbon and proceeded to yell, harass, scream, drink, cry and howl out to God for failing his family in the loss of the longed for infant. Scared his wife, scared the neighbors, scared his parents who got a phone call and his wife pleaded with him for an hour to come in from the pretty terrible thunder and storm. He told her he would see her in the morning - he was going to fight the Almighty - leave him alone. And he did for most of the night with thunder crashing and rain pouring. And he said the next day, he was embarrassed mostly to God. But he felt immeasurably better and embarrassed, very embarrassed. With a touch of gratitude not to be struck with lightning.

This is someone who has met the end of the rope. Not a constant habit and an anger to God for a life felt to be not worth living. For "my poor life."

Zipporah was Moses' wife and not completely in step. She decided to try to get God out of Moses' life and the result was circumcision. Zipporah saw such a display of God, she was unwilling to cross God again.

Nahum 1
…8 But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end of its site, And will pursue His enemies into darkness. 9 Whatever you devise against the LORD, He will make a complete end of it. Distress will not rise up twice.









I firmly believe, and hold constant the opinion, we need to consider until we are beyond the ability to remain silent - to hold our conversations with respect to God. God is not our waiter, He is not our physical father some of us have treated with lack of respect. This is the ALMIGHTY.


Lord's Prayer

Jesus knew His Father from Genesis 1. Jesus is Light of the World. And He is telling us something about the God of the Exodus. The God of the Second Exile. The God who restores an impossible task to recreate the Nation of Israel as a forerunner for His Son defeating Death.

Lead us not into Temptation. That is a quote from Jesus. We can twirl ourselves in to complacency for our own self-righteousness. We are a child of God - so God cough up. Jesus taught us of - The Prodigal's Older Brother. The prayer of the Pharisee. See Me - I'm Perfect. And we are the people who pass by the Samaritan - hoping not to get caught with not wanting the money, effort and emotional cost.

Lead us not into Temptation. To believe God is not GOD. To think we are the ones pushing God.

And this is a good reason why Jesus then said, "Deliver us from evil." All those verses in the Scriptures about enemies and the New Testament squabbles of Saints. It's not always the squabble between people - the enemy is what we think we are owed. What we have earned. What is our right. What our bad attitude in fitting into life, but yeah, "but what do you really think?"





God tells us again and again about the invalid for 38 years. What did he really want? Was he offended to be healed and told this was partially his own fault or fully? Why couldn't he have said, gosh I don't know. Why couldn't he have thanked Jesus. What did he really think? He thought blending in with the culture was more important. And smarter. And he thought he would get ahead to have legs and powerful friends. This was a man who now saw the world was his new oyster.

Psalm 36:4
He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.

Proverbs 3 tells us "Do not envy the violent." Violent? This 38 year former invalid knew that the Dream Team from the Temple was capable of crucifixion. He chose ... poorly.

How did Jesus deal with this healed man? Jesus kept on doing His Father's Work. And He forgave him from the cross. And Jesus went Forth.

Romans 12
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Lazarus did, upon being healed from death.



Dear Father,

Let us open our gates for the Plan You have for us.

Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in!

Let's Live the Life God wants for us - today.

Acts 12:14
When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Father we lift up the Nation during the count down to voting. We lift up prayers for the voting to happen. We lift up transparent motives in the people we vote for. In what is pushed back and undisclosed, we ask You to be the Light for the People trying to please You. We ask Your mercy and sympathy for what has been voted for and requested. We are the Christians declaring Jesus is God and believing You would do all things for the people who ask with Hope and Love. We are praying for the most helpful to Jesus and His plans be elected.

We ask in Faith for the people we love. That they are surrounded before and behind with Your mercies and guidance with Your Help. We ask for our Churches to have the Love and Joy and Steadfastness during changing times. That the message is eternal and brings forth genuine love.


 We ask for good health, for continued hope to lead the way, for relationships to deepen and heal. For families to truly connect in meaningful ways and not just rely on social medias for entertainment. We pray for our neighborhoods that are so quiet. We pray for children to feel that school nourishes them at all ages. We pray about the really odd ideas of fairness at the college level. For rising college costs and decreasing ability to pay the investment with the need for Education for the Nation.

We pray that as the Mercies of God Renew each day, we ask for blessings. Expect blessings and have increased hope and joy as Christians. That our Light from Jesus will shine brighter and honestly. That Joy comes from the Lord Christ.

 For continued good employment available and education to lead our culture upward in wisdom. We lift up our communities and cities to rejoice in sharing their experience of God and faith. We cannot deny what other's have found in Jesus. Thank You, very much, for this Day and what You have provided. We list our best blessings to You and know Amen rings with Jesus the Lord and His plan.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †