Don't Brag Proverbs 27

Hear Him Transfiguration Sunday Feb 27 2022

John 12 We Must Die To Self

Praise Him With All Of Creation Psalm 148

Today's video blog includes part of my morning devotions/prayer walk. It is way too early to have my face on any camera LOL God's Peace - Judy

Philippians 3 Move Forward Feb 24 2022

Praise Ye The Lord Psalm 96

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNWxSQAlcr4

Trust In Him Psalm 146

Denying Jesus John 18

Beware Of False Gods

 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.

Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.

But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? 

                                                                      (Gal 4:1-9 KJV)

We know that through Christ we are free men and women. We know that we are the children of God and have been freed from bondage to those who by nature are not gods. Yet, something within us keeps driving us back into bondage to serve those false gods. Beware of the false gods that would creep into your life. Some of those false gods might seem innocent enough. But, they are not. They will take away our freedom. 

We are not always even aware when we have become obsessed with them; after all, we live in a world where false gods tend to take center stage in the world. When we cannot do without something or some activity then, dear friends, know that you have sold yourself back into bondage. You have sold yourself to a false god. as you are giving your time, your money, your life, to serve this false god. These false gods cannot save you. They can even bring you any real happiness or joy. They will not give you peace of heart or mind or soul.

We are children and heirs of the living God. Jesus freed us from bondage with his blood. Take hold of that freedom and turn away from all that would return you to bondage. 

Rejoice, for the Son has set you free and you are free indeed! (John 8-36)

God's Peace - Pr. J

Bless the Lord

Bless the Lord, O my soul! Psalm 103

 

The Light That Saves And Comforts

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. 

                                                                    (John 3:16-21 KJV)

Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)

The light who is Jesus the Christ has come into the world. He came so that we do not have to live in the darkness; but, to live in his light. He is the light of hope and comfort in the darkness of the world surrounds us. He did come into this world; after all, to save us. 

It is truly good to find rest in him; in his light.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Why Jesus?

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Rom 8:35 KJV)

I was blessed in being able to take some time away this week to attend the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) Pastor's Conference in Orlando.  The theme was "always be ready."  Be ready for what?  How about always be ready to share what you believe?  Always be ready to share the good news with others.

One of the speakers, Rev. Dr. Dennis DiMauro, wondered if we were prepared to respond to someone wanting to know what is so different about Christianity, what is so great about Jesus.  Rev. DiMauro summed it up in one word: love!

Nothing, as Paul wrote to the Romans, can separate us from the love of Christ! It does not matter what we have done or even what we do today or will ever do. Jesus will always love us. He loves us so much that even knowing how we would reject him and deny him over and over again he was willing to be persecuted, suffer, and die so that we might be reconciled to our Father in heaven.  It is not something that we can earn for ourselves. But, he could. He did it out of his great and unconditional love for all human-kind.

Other religions tend to have some kind of works based system whereby we can earn our way to heaven by our works. Some believe that we can change ourselves. No... It does not work that way. We are sinners through and through. There is nothing we can do to pay for our sins. Ours sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ painfully; yet lovingly, shed on the cross for us. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone!

What is so different about Jesus! Jesus loves us enough to die for us and nothing can separate us from his love! While we were dead in our sins he gave his us his all. He gave us his life. He gives us life. He gives us love.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Love Your Enemy

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.

And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.

But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 

Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

                                                                          (Luke 6:27-36 KJV)

When Jesus says love your neighbor, he does not mean that we just get to smile when encountering those who hate us. It means we really need to care about them; even when they're not looking. We are to do good to others. 

It does our enemies nor ourselves any good to continue to be hateful. There is no peace to be found in constant battles with one another. There is no peace to be had in constant slander or anything else done to get a one up on an enemy.

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (vs 28) "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (vs 36)

Afterall, how often do our own thoughts or words or actions offend God; yet, in his great mercy he continues to love us. He continues to care for us. Let us be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful. Let us love others just as our Father in heaven loves us.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Saved For A Good Purpose

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.

And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.

And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

                                                                 (Gen 45:3-8 KJV)

Joseph was favored by his father and that made his brothers jealous enough to sell him into slavery. If we went no further with this story than the betrayal by his brothers it would seem like a very bad thing. But, God did not intend for Joseph to be a slave. His purpose was for Joseph to become a leader. He intended to use Joseph to save the people, including the same brothers who sold him, from death by starvation. Joseph forgave his brothers who betrayed him. He forgave and saved them.

Jesus was also sold by Judas. He was betrayed by many. His followers; his disciples deserted him. His suffering was great. Yet, there was a good purpose. His suffering was for our good. That purpose was so that we might be saved from the power of death. 

When his friend, Lazarus, died, Jesus had reassured Lazarus' sister, Martha, that Lazarus would live.

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." (John 11:25-27)

No matter how bad things may seem at any given time, know that God has a good plan for those who love him. (Rom 8:28) In the years to come those who love him will look back to today and see that God led you them these rough times to a better place even a marvelous place.

Be comforted with the knowledge that God is with you and he has a good plan for your life. He will lead you to a better place through valleys of the shadow of death, through green pastures, beside still waters. His goodness and mercy will be with you all the days of your life and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  (Psalm 23)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Psalm 103 KJV

 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

+++

What a magnificent and powerful bird! I have been most blessed to have lived where eagles fly quite regularly. I see them now and then in Florida as well. But, I see a whole lot more vultures here. They too are pretty magnificent when they are flying; not so awesome when you have to stop your vehicle because they are busing eating road kill in the middle of the road. Eagles usually have the good sense to fly away when a car approaches.

Whenever, I see a bald eagle flying or sitting in a tree watching me, my heart just leaps. These birds, our national birds, give me a sense of both peace and security. The sight of them refreshes me. They take my breath away if but for a moment. These beautiful creations of God are marvelous to behold.

To watch the majestic flight of the eagle is a reminder how magnificent and powerful God is. It is a reminder to me that in his infinite wisdom God is in charge of things. He made man to walk upon the earth, the fish to swim, and the eagle to fly. How wonderful is that? Who will not bow in humility when one realizes the power and authority that God has. All these things.... and so much more....

He blesses our souls, heals us, reconciles us to Him and to one another. He forgives us our iniquities, though we are far from worthy. He crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies. All that is are His. We are His. That should bring a sense of peace and security to all people. It will, once we realize that He is God and there is no other.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." (vs 1,2)

May God refresh you today and every day!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Blessed Are You Feb 13 2022

Dead But Destined To Be Fruitful

They will be fruitful

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (Rom 5:3-5 KJV)

 

A couple of years ago I was given the banana trees in the photo as a Mother’s Day gift. Almost two years and still no bananas. They have died twice. 

During the first summer after I planted them it rained and rained and rained. Unfortunately I had planted them in a low spot in the yard and they drowned. But, I had hope. So I planted them in a higher spot when we came home from an extended vacation with hope that they would live again.  They did. 

I watch the weather forecast daily for all kinds of possible events including frost. A few weeks ago, as should be expected from experience, the weather forecast was not correct and I woke up to a major frost covering everything. The buds on my orange and grapefruit trees were dead. Thankfully, the trees themselves were not. But, the banana trees had major damage to them. That is what we are looking at dead or dying trees. I still have hope because you see banana trees reproduce themselves. Their roots put out outreach roots and grow new plants called pups. I learned this from the experience with their first death by drowning. Kind of like the Christian who is drowned in the waters of baptism and then given new life. Even though these little trees look pretty bad and they look dead I have hope that they will still live and produce fruit. 

Like the banana tree, the faithful Christian reach out with underground offshoots that produce new growth. By the abiding presence of Jesus the Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit we reach out sharing the Good News of eternal life in the Kingdom of God for all who believe and the Body of Christ continues to grow. 

Even though we die, we shall live. Have patience, it may look devastating at times; but, the truth will never die no matter what kind of enemy comes up against it. .I have hope that the truth will live for all of eternity. In fact it is more than hope. I know that because the truth is Jesus Christ who is the tree of life and he himself likened us to the branches of a magnificent tree. We are not so unlike the runners off of a banana tree that reproduces itself.

Two years and no fruit from the banana trees. But, I have patience and I have hope that one day they will produce fruit. The ones you see here may not produce the fruit directly; but, they will through their offspring; through their pups I will see fruit one day. We may not also always get to see the fruit produced when we share the Word of God. But, fruit will be produced whether we get to see it or not. It will happen so don’t give up. Have patience and hope. Just because you can’t see or experience the fruitfulness of something doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. After all, God did tell us through Isaiah the prophet: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)

Have patience; have hope, and share the word of God so that it might produce fruit for the glory of God! God’s Peace and hope be with you all. Amen!

God's Peace - Pr. J

My Soul Thirsts For The Lord

As a deer longs for flowing streams,

so my soul longs for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and behold

the face of God?

Psalm 42:1-2 NRSV

Life can get pretty hectic and confusing at times. Which way to go? What to do next? When I get like this, and I do at times, I remind myself to seek the Lord. There is only one way to go and that is to the Lord. I long to see His face more fully; to hear and understand His Word and His will more completely. I long to be more fully in His presence; to see Him face to face.

There is only one who can satisfy our thirsty souls. Seek the Lord and His Kingdom and He will show you the way to eternal peace in His presence.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Love Does No Harm

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

                                                                       (1 Cor 13:1-7 KJV)

The New International Version and the New King James Version of the Bible both translate charity as love.  Love is charitable because it puts the other's needs before our own desires. It will reconcile us when things might otherwise divide us. Real love does no harm to others as it considers not just what the consequences for oneself might be; but, what the consequences of our words or actions might be upon others. Love and charity care about others. 

When Jesus hung on that cross for us he did it out of love for us. He knowingly and willingly suffered and died so that we might live in the presence of God for all of eternity. He bore our sins on that cross for us and the consequence of that loving act for us is that we are forgiven our sins and reconciled to God our Father. We, who have sinned against God and one another so many times that we cannot count them are forgiven by faith alone in Jesus' life giving sacrifice.

"We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19) We love others because he loves us all so much!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Forgiven Much

St. Paul was forgiven much and so are we

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

                                                     (1 Corinthians 15:1-10 KJV)

By the grace of God I am what I am. By the grace of God we are what we are. We have not loved God with our whole hearts. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have sinned against all. Yet, we  are saint. We are children of our heavenly Father. We have been cleansed of our sin through and by faith alone through by the blood of Jesus the Christ!

Paul declared himself a horrible sinner; a persecutor of the church of God. Although, he was the least, after meeting Jesus on the road after  Jesus' ascension, he became most ardent in proclaiming Jesus as the one who died in declaring that Jesus' died for our sins and that he rose again from the dead for us.

There is not one of us who is without sin. No matter how hard we try we cannot save ourselves by any good works so we turn to the only one who can and has saved us. We turn to our loving savior Jesus in faith. We turn to the one who saved us by his work on the cross for us.

Do not let your sin overwhelm you. Repent and believe that your sins have been washed away for in Christ you have indeed been cleansed.  You have been forgiven!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Trust The Lord Above All

Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.

For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

                                                                           (Jer 17:5-8 KJV)

A confession for this morning:  As I child I trusted just about everyone. As a young adult, who got burned many times by others, I began to trust no one. But, as I grew to know the Lord I began, once again, to trust others. I could trust others not because humankind is so trustworthy or good; but, because God is. Too often human beings will take the road that they think will benefit them no matter how much it might damage others. But, the Lord does not. He who loves us and cares for us was willing to die that we might be forgiven for the very sins that we commit against our neighbors out of selfishness and greed. 

I trust the Lord to take care of things that I cannot control and the things that others would take control of to the detriment of not just myself but humankind as a whole. I have been able to regain trust  in others because above all my faith, my love, my trust is in the Lord. While others would lead us to useless salt lands the Lord will make us to lie down in green pastures and lead us beside still waters. (Psalm 23)

I have learned the lesson, though, that when others willfully go against God's good will for others it is not the time to sit back and allow them to have any type of authority over myself or anyone else. There are times that we must stand up for what is good and right even if it requires a sacrifice on our part. God; after all, often does work through his people. 

We can live and work and even play with others because before them all we trust the Lord who loves us and gave himself for us.

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord "for he is good and his mercy endureth forever!" (Psalm 136)

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Prosper In Love

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

+++

What does it mean to be blessed.  I don't know about all of you; but, I have found that living in relationship with God is to be blessed. 

There are many who preach that you will have every material thing that you desire if you follow God's law. But, to prosper has more meaning than the materialistic meaning that the word has taken on.   

Prosperity for the Christian is to grow rich in the love of God and to be fruitful by sharing his love with others.  When we share his love we don't have to worry about following every law because when we love God we automatically worship and put him before all others.  When we love others we will do them no harm. We will not sin against them. 

"Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." 

                                                                          (Rom 13:8-10)

Blessed are those who love the Lord and who love one another for they will be fruitful in edifying the church. They will live lives abundant with  the peace of heart and mind in the presence of God that faith alone in Christ alone can bring. 

There is a prosperity that is not just about money and things. It is better to be prosperous; enriched with these things:  "faith, hope, love," for they will last an eternity while our things will not.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Gifts To Edify

Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. (1 Cor 14:12 KJV)

Our call is to edify the church not to destroy it. The church is the Body of Christ and according to St. Paul's letter to the church we are to help the church to grow. We are to help improve the visible church here on earth.

When we shine the spotlight on someone's particular gifts and ignore the gifts of all of God's children we are endangering the fellowship of the saints in the Body of Christ. Our mission is not to glorify ourselves or anyone else within the church because of particular gifts that we might have been given. Each and everyone of us has been given gifts by God; not for our own glorification; but, so that God is glorified through every member of the church.

God help us to excel in the edifying of the church! God help us to glorify him in all that we say and think and do!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Send Me

Strength For The Weary

The weary shall mount up wings of an eagle

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

                                                                                  (Isa 40:28-31 KJV)

I have been a bit weary lately. It seems it gets more and more difficult each day to get anything accomplished. We are in the process of selling our home in Michigan. We have been waiting to close on the sale for months. I have paperwork laying all over my office. Every time I think we're close to closing, I'm ruffling through all of the stacks of paper once again. The title company seems to be having problems figuring out things. Today is exactly four months after we accepted the offer. So... I am feeling very weary. I have to keep reminding myself that God will take care of things according to his will and in his time so I am editing and reposting this story I wrote a year ago to remind myself and you to trust the Lord to give us strength in all things.

I was on a sabbatical kayaking on the southern shore of Lake Superior many years ago. The stretch I was traveling that day was very remote. There was no cell service. There were no roads. There were no homes along this stretch of shoreline. There were only woods. There was also a storm that came up once I was on the water. The rain was light; but, there was a lot of wind and some really rough wave action. It was not the first time that I had paddled during small craft warnings. If it had not been for my husband waiting at a park with lunch for me at the end of this stretch I would have pulled up on shore and set up my tent until the weather calmed down. But, he was expecting me and I knew that if I was way too late he would have the Coast Guard out looking for me. Although, weary from battling the wind and waves I was determined to keep going. 

I was finally quite exhausted. The wind and the rain had gotten worse so I decided to go on shore and eat a little bit of lunch hoping that the storm would die down a bit. The landing was a little rough; but, not too bad. I ate lunch taking cover under a tree from at least some of the rain. The prospect of launching was a little daunting as the water grew fiercer. I love Lake Superior; but, she is something to be very wary of so I laid down and fell asleep  waiting for her to calm down. When I opened my eyes I beheld a bald eagle on a limb above me; looking down; watching me. I could see his eyes plainly. I could see every wet feather on his head. I remembered this verse from Isaiah: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." 

My strength was renewed. I got up and back out on the water with the assurance that God was with me. The launch was much rougher than the landing. I struggled against the waves as I launched and paddled far enough from the shoreline to where it was not quite so rough. It took over six hours for me to make the about three hour journey to where my husband was waiting for me. And... yes, he had grown very worried. But, thankfully he had not called the Coast Guard, yet! 

There are many days that we grow weary. Sometimes the storms of life wear us out. Sometimes even the lack of storms can actually make us weary of life; weary of the same old things. But, no matter what causes us to grow weary and to lose our strength or our courage to move forward, we can know that God is with us. We can be confident that He will give us power and strength. He gives us the courage to rise up with wings like eagles and keep going no matter what challenges the days will bring us.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Time With God

But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy. 

                  (Psalm 59:16-17 KJV)

Early morning is my time with God. He is with me all day and I pray often throughout the day. But, in the early morning hours it is quiet and still enough that I can spend intentional time with him without interruptions.

And... when I do spend intentional time with him in this way, I find that I am more aware of his presence throughout the day. Every day brings at least a challenge or two; but, I know that God is with me. He is my defense.  When the challenges come, I find my mind going to the promises found in scriptures and more and more lately I find myself singing songs of praise and thanksgiving as I meet those challenges.

God is with you. He has a good purpose for your life. He will defend you. He will lead you through each trial. If out of love for us he would send his only begotten Son to die for us; to die for our sins, would we suppose that he would not continue to protect and care for us?

He has shown us mercy through the shed blood of Jesus. He continues to show us mercy. He is our refuge and strength.

Give thanks to the Lord for his mercy endures forever!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Departed Brothers: Fr. Basil; Fr. Nicholas

Monastery at Jacob's Falls, Eagle Harbor, MI

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

                      (John 13:34-35 KJV)

I met Fr. Basil in 1997. I was the Vicar for a church without walls in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan. I had up to five services all over the Keweenaw during any given week and by weeks end I needed to be refreshed. I needed to hear the word and not just preach it so I began attending Saturday evening Vespers on the shore of Lake Superior at the Holy Transfiguration Skete, Eagle Harbor, MI; a Catholic Monastery of the Byzantine Rite. When I first began attending worship with the monks, services were held in their living room. It has since grown greatly!

  

I always left worship with the brothers rejuvenated and ready for the coming week. For those of you who have not attended one of their services, they are completely chanted, including the readings. There are no musical instruments to accompany the chanting; just voices. The words are not drowned out by the organ. I can focus more fully on the word when I can hear it. And... they didn't even mind my chanting. After I had moved away and continued to worship occasionally with them, Fr. Nicholas had commented that he always smiled when he heard me chanting behind him because he knew that I had made the trip to be with them once again. Yes, when I attempt to sing or chant people often smile. I am a preacher not a singer! But, I love doing both. Worship at the monastery is also done  mostly standing. The only time that there is any sitting down is during the readings; unless you are disabled. Whenever I hear people complaining about  standing  too much during worship; I think of Jesus being tortured and hanging on the cross for so many hours for our sakes. 

Fr. Nicholas passed away in 2017. As I was surfing the internet this morning I stumbled across Fr. Basil's obituary. He died on November 30th of this past year. It was a bit of a shock as he always seemed so healthy. 

Despite doctrinal differences, these co-founders of the Holy Transfiguration Skete were truly brothers in Christ. I do miss them. They not only  spiritually supported me and my ministry in the Keweenaw and elsewhere, they were  supporters of many people in need whether the needs were spiritual or physical even as the brothers left behind still are there praying for and helping those in need. What I have witnessed is genuine love for others through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Time has been passing here on earth rather quickly it seems. I will not be seeing brothers Basil or Nicholas again here on earth again. But, that is okay as we look to living in the Kingdom prepared for all who believe, in the presence of God, for all eternity.

May God continue to bless the brothers of St. John's Society with love and with his peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

What A Vision!

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

                                                          

And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 

                                                                          (Isa 6:1-8 KJV)

Who will go? With a vision like Isaiah had of the Lord I'm thinking that we would all go if we saw the same! 

But, we don't get to have the same vision Isaiah had so who will go? Who will bring the message of the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ to the world? Oh, yes... that would be the clergy. But, not just the clergy. Every single person who knows the truth who is Jesus the Christ will bring the truth to others. We do this because we know the awesomeness of God and we want to share it.  We know the great love that Jesus has for us; a love so great he was willing to die for us. And... because his love so overwhelms us we cannot do anything but share the knowledge of his love with others. 

The presence of God Almighty in Isaiah's vision overwhelmed him so much that he was willing to do whatever God asked of him. The presence of God in our lives will do the same. Once you know this God who loves you your love for him will overflow and you will go wherever he sends you. Everything else will take second place. When God asks you to go you will go. If at first you say no and this is most likely going to happen, be aware. He will keep on asking. He never gives up on us.

Isaiah's vision was tremendous. Here is a tremendous picture to consider:  A child born in a manger grew up. This innocent man was persecuted, tortured, and hung on a cross to die for our sins. He was found guilty. We were acquitted so that we could receive the inheritance of eternal life in our Father's house; in the Kingdom of God where Jesus reigns! Now, that is a vision to keep focused on!

When he calls you to deliver this message of the Kingdom; will you go?

God's Peace - Pr. J.