Ephesians 5:20 “Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the Name of our Lord Jesus.” (ERV).
Be thankful for everything. Good things and Bad things. Be thankful for All things. The good things are easy to be thankful for. The bad things, it’s not so easy to be thankful for. As we get older, we may have some health problems. It’s not easy, but we can learn to be thankful. God is always with us. I have Bone Marrow Cancer, or Multiple Myeloma Cancer.
Continue readingJohn 20:27-29 (CSB) 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.”
28 Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God! ”
29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
Commentaries say Thomas was able to put his finger into Jesus’ side wound. Remember it was made by a spear while on the Cross! So, it would not be a small or shallow wound. Apparently, Jesus, though resurrected from death to life, still bore the raw newness of healed wounds.
Continue readingGalatians 2:20 “So I am not the one living now—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He is the one who loved me and gave himself to save me.” (ERV)
Back in the 1990’s, “What Would Jesus Do?” became a popular slogan and it became commercialized. The slogan appeared on everything, it seems, and one could purchase wrist bracelets with W.W.J.D.? emblazoned on it. It was meant to be worn as a reminder to a believer to pray for wisdom when it was not clear as what to do. What would Jesus do about driving a car?
Continue readingLuke 2:8-12 “That night, some shepherds were out in the fields near Bethlehem watching their sheep. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining around them. The shepherds were very afraid. The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I have some very good news for you—news that will make everyone happy. Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.” (ERV)
So what can we learn from these Shepherds? They were doing their job, taking care of the sheep. They were near Bethlehem. For them it was another ordinary night on the job. Then an angel suddenly appeared! The angel told them not to be afraid. I have very good news. It will make everyone happy. The angel told the shepherds that their Savior was born. He was the Messiah, the Lord. The angel told the shepherds how they can find him. They will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box. And then, an army of angels appeared, all praising God. And then these angels went back to Heaven.
Continue readingAitken’s Bible
When War of Independence from England began. America was cutoff from Bibles imports. American printer named Aitken was first American to print Bible in America. Congress approved of Aitken’s Bible. General Washington wanted all discharged soldiers given these Bibles. But, the war was over and too late to give out copies. Aitken acted as a light to his fellow American believers when he undertook the challenge of printing the Bible. Today, for us, that would be like typing an entire Bible translation into a word processor and printing it off. A lot of work, but far easier for us than for Aitken. Whatever we can do to spread the Word of God is part of being a light to the lost and fallen world. Amen!
Recently, I went to the Dentist for my check-up. The office front door was locked! Before I could enter, they “ray-gunned” me for my temperature. Everyone wore a mask, and the office smelled of disinfectants. I had to fill out and sign a legal waiver in case I catch the corona virus. There was no turning back! I prayed to God for protection.
My dental hygienist was nice. She explained how they changed their dental procedures to make it more safe, but that there was still risk. She not only wore a face mask, but also a helmet with flip-down, see-through visor. She looked liked a welder! Please pray for her and others like her. Everyone in the medical profession are on the front line in the fight against the pandemic. God Bless them!
At the end of my visit, the Dentist came in to double-check my hygienist’s work. Before leaving he said, “Keep safe out there in all that craziness.” He was gone before I could think of a Biblical reply. He made me think about all the violence and turmoil we see today. What is the Biblical reply?
Continue reading“Jesus got into a boat and his followers went with him. After the boat left the shore, a very bad storm began on the lake. The waves covered the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The followers went to him and woke him up. They said, “Lord, save us! We will drown!” Jesus answered, “why are you afraid? You don’t have enough faith.” Then he stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. The wind stopped and the lake became very calm. The men were amazed. They said, “what kind of man is this? Even the wind and the water obey him?” Matthew 8:23-27 (ERV)
My husband and I like Lighthouses. We have visited Cedar Key Florida several times. We found out that Cedar Key has a Lighthouse, Seahorse Key Lighthouse. It is out in the Gulf about three miles so you have to take a boat ride to get there. It takes about 30 minutes each way. So we thought we would go for it and visit in July.
The Bible has a lot of Promises that God has given us. So wonderful!. It’s especially interesting to learn how Jesus grew while He lived on earth. If Jesus grew that way, then we can grow that way in our faith. Grow in Jesus
Some people may like to pick a verse and memorize it. Or do a “deep dive” [study the verse]. What to do? Choose a verse you like. I choose a verse from Book of Luke.
Luke 2:52 “As Jesus grew taller, he continued to grow in wisdom. God was pleased with him and so were the people who knew him.” (ERV)
I ask myself what this verse mean? I break it down and take each part alone.
Jesus grew in all these ways when He lived on earth, so we can grow this way also.
How do I make this verse meaningful to me? For me this verse means:
God wants me to grow physically, so I can be healthy for Him. Right now I am having some problems dealing with cancer, but I want to be as healthy as I can and live for Him.
God wants me to grow in wisdom, to learn things for Him. God wants me to more and more please Him, grow spiritually. God wants me to also please people, by earning their respect.
By memorizing and studying this verse, I find God wants me to learn by growing in Him. Jesus grew physically. He became wise. He pleased God and people liked him. God wants me to be like Jesus. So I can grow in these four ways as Jesus did. All of it is to grow in Him. Grow our faith in Jesus.
I was born Deaf, but became deaf through a marvel of technology: the hearing-aid. What’s the difference between Deaf and deaf? Heart language and culture. There is a range in the severity of deafness. Mine was severe enough so I could not hear well enough to use a spoken language. Fortunately, hearing aids became available to me when I was in second grade. They were very large and expensive. With the hearing aid I could learn to speak English with the help of a Speach Therapist. My therapist also taught me how to read lips. English became my heart language, not ASL. So I was able to make my way through public schools. I barely made it to college, but then almost flunked out in my first term. By changing to a different major and minor, I had more teachers who spoke English without an accent. That made all the difference for me. I struggled all the way to graduation. Continue reading
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