(November 30, 2004 6:11 AM CST)
"Sing to the Lord a new song;
With the Lord all things are new.
sing to the Lord, all you lands.
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds."
Psalms 96:1-3
He is new insights.
He is new hope.
Each day is an adventure.
There is so much to learn.
Lord, teach us.
Teach us your ways.
(November 29, 2004 6:08 AM CST)
We received an inch or two of snow yesterday afternoon.
"My brothers and sisters,
If you see someone going away from the Lord,
The trees looked very beautiful.
Instant Christmastime.
if someone is detected in sin,
you who live by the spirit
should gently set him right,
each of you trying to avoid
falling into temptation himself.
Help carry one another's burdens;
in that way you will fulfill
the law of Christ."
Galatians 6:1-2
gently encourage them to come back home.
A kind word from you is all that it takes.
Let us help each other.
We all have burdens to carry.
We all stray from the path.
Let us walk together in faith.
We are brothers and sisters in the Lord.
(November 28, 2004 6:14 AM CST)
I'm looking at the
weather radar
and
Last night I watched
Jesus said,
Be true.
the snow is not far away from Omaha this morning.
It's a Wonderful Life
.
It is a classic.
George dreams of going all over the world
and ends up staying in Bedford Falls time after time.
"Anyone who loves me
will be true to my word,
and my Father will love him;
we will come to him
and make our dwelling place with him.
He who does not love me
does not keep my words."
John 14:23-24
Be true to the Lord.
Show that you love him.
Keep his words.
Be faithful.
Stay right where you are
and do what the Lord asks of you.
There is much to be done
right where you are.
(November 27, 2004 6:26 AM CST)
Every Saturday morning I backup all the files
"The Spirit too helps us in our weakness,
The Holy Spirit is there.
for Spring To Life.
I also take a snapshot of the statistics
for Spring To Life
and write them out there to file stats.html.
Every day I save a copy of the file main.html
to my hard drive.
I imagine that my ISP Novia does backups also
at various times.
for we do not know
how to pray as we ought;
but the Spirit himself makes intercession
for us with groanings
that cannot be expressed in speech.
He who searches hearts
knows what the Spirit means,
for the Spirit intercedes for the saints
as God himself wills."
Romans 8:26-27
The Spirit is searching our hearts.
Is there any faith there?
Is there any hope to be found?
Spirit of the living God,
come into our hearts.
Teach us how to pray.
Comfort us in times of trouble.
Show us the ways of the Lord.
Help us to do the will of God.
(November 26, 2004 6:16 AM CST)
"Afterward Jesus went out and
That is asking a lot...
saw a tax collector named Levi
sitting at his customs post.
He said to him,
'Follow me.'
Leaving everything behind,
Levi stood up and became his follower."
Luke 5:27-28
Jesus asks us to follow him.
Will we do it?
Will we go our own way?
Can you leave it all behind?
It takes trust.
It takes faith.
Jesus has the answers to life.
Follow him.
He gives us directions.
You will never be lost again.
(November 25, 2004 6:21 AM CST)
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family today!
"I will give thanks to you,
It is right to thank God.
O Lord, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, Most High..."
Psalms 9:1-3
He is deserving of all our praise.
He gives us our life.
He gives us hope for tomorrow.
We have been blessed this year.
Let us thank the Lord Most High.
(November 24, 2004 6:17 AM CST)
I played racquetball last night at the YMCA and
Pray for a friend that I used to work with.
"Peter remembered what the Lord had said:
The Lord gives many gifts.
my right arm is hurting and
my right ankle is hurting.
I think I twisted it.
And I lost too 2-4 against my nephew.
He is getting better each time we play.
She is having surgery this morning.
God be with her and her family.
The surgeries on my brother
and uncle on November 22 went fine.
Thank the Lord.
'John baptized with water
but you will be baptized
with the Holy Spirit.'
If God was giving them
the same gift he gave us
when we first believed
in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who was I to interfere with him?"
Acts 11:16-17
We should be glad that he is so generous.
He is very kind.
He wants the best for each of us.
Be open to these gifts of the Holy Spirit.
They will change your life.
He will renew your soul.
(November 23, 2004 6:04 AM CST)
"Jesus asked his disciples this question:
Who is Jesus?
'Who do people say that I am?'
They replied,
'Some say, John the Baptizer,
others say, Elijah,
still others, one of the prophets.'
'And you,' he went on to ask,
'who do you say that I am?'
Peter answered him,
'You are the Messiah!'"
Mark 8:27-29
Do you know anything about him?
Is he your friend?
Do you pray to him?
Do you trust him?
Have you read his words?
There is so much to learn about him.
Study the Bible.
Read his words.
See his actions.
You will discover who he is.
(November 22, 2004 6:05 AM CST)
Pray for one of my brothers.
Jesus said,
Who is the greatest?
He is having surgery this morning.
God be with him and the doctors and nurses.
Thanks.
"The greatest among you will be the one
who serves the rest.
Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled,
but whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."
Matthew 23:11-12
Who is the least?
With Jesus things flip.
We are to serve others.
We are to think of others.
So often we only think of ourselves.
I keep this yellow post-it note
on my PC monitor and bathroom mirror:
What can I do for someone else today?
With the Lord's help this is possible.
(November 21, 2004 6:05 AM CST)
"God, who reads the hearts of men,
The gift is offered to all people.
showed his approval
by granting the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles
just as he did to us.
He made no distinction between them and us,
but purified their hearts
by means of faith also."
Acts 15:8-9
God loves all of us.
He wants each of us to be with him forever.
He gives faith freely.
He seeks all hearts to be close to his heart.
He gives the Holy Spirit to all who ask.
He is most generous.
There is hope for all.
There is hope for you.
Ask Jesus to come into your heart.
(November 20, 2004 7:49 AM CST)
Today two of my friends are 70 years old.
Yesterday I was reading about
Thomas Merton
.
"A man who listens to God's word
You look in the mirror.
They were born on the exact same day.
I went to two parties yesterday...
one in the morning (7:20am)
and one in the evening (6:30pm).
God bless both of them and their families.
He lived from 1/31/1915 to 12/10/1968.
He was born in Prades, France.
He lived many years in the United States.
He died by an accident
while on a trip to Bangkok, Thailand.
He was a writer and you see
quotes from him
in books.
For example I saw this quote in a book yesterday:
"What can we gain by sailing to the moon
if we are not able to cross the abyss
that separates us from ourselves?
This is the most important of all voyages of discovery,
and without it, all the rest are not only useless,
but disastrous."
but does not put it into practice
is like a man who looks in a mirror
at the face he was born with:
he looks at himself,
then goes off and
promptly forgets what he looked like."
James 1:23-24
You wonder who you are.
You wonder why you are here in 2004.
You are a child of God.
You are made by him.
Your soul longs to be near the Lord.
He gives you value.
He gives you tremendous worth.
We are all special in his eyes.
Read the words of God in the Bible.
Listen to them.
Let them sink in.
Let them change you.
Remember who you are.
Go on a voyage.
Discover who you are in Christ.
Cross the abyss.
(November 19, 2004 6:10 AM CST)
Going back to the November 17th reading...
The Lord takes our 5 loaves and 2 fish.
He takes what little we have.
He works with that.
Then a miracle happens.
He multiplies our efforts.
He capitalizes on our donations.
Wonderful things happen.
Give to the Lord.
Give to others.
See what the Lord can do.
(November 18, 2004 6:09 AM CST)
Going back to yesterday's reading from class...
Jesus had pity on the crowds.
He cured the sick.
He cared about each person that was there that day.
He touched every soul that was there.
You wonder where did he get his energy
to minister to a few thousand people like he did.
It was the time he spent in prayer.
He set aside that time to refocus and reenergize.
Prayer is so important!
Jesus taught his disciples.
They had much to learn.
The "impossible" is possible.
Logic is flipped.
Commonsense is out the window.
How could they feed over 5,000 people?
On the earthly level it was impossible,
but on the spiritual level it was possible.
The Lord is teaching that to you and me.
We look at situations and we say it is
"hopeless" or "impossible,"
but Jesus says to be open to the possibilities.
He can do amazing things, if we only believe.
We have to remind ourselves of this often.
Jesus is a surprising person.
Think of the possibilities.
Pray often.
(November 17, 2004 6:08 AM CST)
I actually made it to the church meeting last night.
"When Jesus heard of it,
I wrote myself notes on calendars at home and work
and in my briefcase.
I had missed the last meeting on October 21st,
so I was determined not to miss this meeting.
Ed taught a class on prayer
is what it turned out to be.
He is very good.
He talked a lot about his students
and their spiritual questions.
He had us read this from the Bible:
he withdrew in a boat
to a deserted place by himself.
The crowds heard of this
and followed him on foot from their towns.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd,
his heart was moved with pity for them,
and he cured their sick.
When it was evening,
the disciples approached him and said,
'This is a deserted place and it is already late;
dismiss the crowds so that they can go
to the villages and buy food for themselves.'
Jesus said to them,
'There is no need for them to go away;
give them some food yourselves.'
But they said to him,
'5 loaves and 2 fish are all we have here.'
Then he said, 'Bring them here to me,'
and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
Taking the 5 loaves and the 2 fish,
and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing,
broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples,
who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied,
and they picked up the fragments left over ---
12 wicker baskets full.
Those who ate were about 5,000 men,
not counting the women and children."
Matthew 14:13-21
Ed said to imagine yourself there.
See and hear what is happening.
There is so much there to talk about and pray about.
Jesus goes to a deserted place...
The crowds were in a deserted place...
Many people in class wanted to find a deserted place
and get away from the troubles of the world.
This definitely would help us to pray.
Jesus is there.
He is alive.
The crowds are very excited to see him.
They are noisy.
They follow him all over the place.
They see him heal the sick.
The news is spread from person to person:
"I saw this..."
"I heard that..."
He feeds the huge crowd and
there are even leftovers.
God's blessings are overflowing.
He is amazing to watch.
He puts the disciples to work.
They help distribute the bread and fish.
Put yourself in the scene.
How would you react?
What would you do?
(November 16, 2004 5:57 AM CST)
Lately I've been asking myself
"God is rich in mercy;
God is great.
what is God's vision for my life.
What does he want me to be?
Joel
was talking about this
on his TV program this week.
because of his great love for us
he brought us to life with Christ
when we were dead in sin.
By this favor you were saved."
Ephesians 2:4-5
He loves us immensely.
He wants the best for us.
He wants us to stay close to him.
He hates sin.
Sin kills us.
We need his mercy.
Ask him to forgive your sins.
He will save you from death.
He gives you new life.
Receive this favor from the Lord.
(November 15, 2004 5:58 AM CST)
Usually when I am driving around Omaha
"When the disciples had eaten their meal,
Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved him.
I listen to
KGBI 100.7 FM
.
Do you listen to Christian music in your town?
Jesus said to Simon Peter,
'Simon, son of John,
do you love me more than these?'
'Yes, Lord,' he said,
'you know that I love you.'
At which Jesus said,
'Feed my lambs.'"
John 21:15
Three times Peter had denied that he knew Jesus.
Peter was to be a great leader of the early church.
He needed to get things right with the Lord.
The Lord had great plans for him,
but he needed forgiveness and to be healed.
Tell the Lord that you love him.
Ask the Lord to forgive your sins.
You need to be healed.
He has great plans for your life.
(November 14, 2004 6:09 AM CST)
I've started again to eat an apple a day.
"At these words the whole audience
There were times when Jesus was not very popular.
I used to do this a few years ago
and stopped for some reason.
I think I ran across a few bad apples.
The French fries are gone.
Zip...I don't eat them anymore.
I eat celery and broccoli sometimes.
I buy them at the grocery store now.
I've never done that before.
I made 3 cakes yesterday.
Why make one?
So I made 3 and froze them.
I ordered a book from onlinebooks2004 on October 16th
at the Amazon.com web site.
It has not arrived yet.
I guess I will get a refund of $10.47,
since Amazon has a guarantee.
They have charged my credit card already.
I did see that at the credit card web site.
Many people did not get their books from this company.
Some people did get their books,
so I'm not sure what happened.
I'm still fighting the leaves in yard.
I clean up the yard once a week like I did yesterday.
There is not that many leaves this year,
since I had the trees trimmed on October 6th.
in the synagogue was filled with indignation.
They rose up and expelled Jesus from the town,
leading him to the brow of the hill
on which it was built
and intending to hurl him over the edge.
But he went straight through their midst
and walked away."
Luke 4:28-30
He did get people upset with what he said sometimes.
He just about got killed on this occasion,
but it was not time yet for him to die.
He was in control.
This was not part of the plan.
He walked away.
They could not stop him.
When it seems that all is lost
grab on to Jesus.
Hold on to him.
He will lead you to safety.
Just walk away.
(November 13, 2004 6:24 AM CST)
Jesus said,
Believe.
"Put your trust in God.
I solemnly assure you,
whoever says to this mountain,
'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,'
and has no inner doubts
but believes that what he says will happen,
shall have it done for him.
I give you my word,
if you are ready to believe
that you will receive
whatever you ask for in prayer,
it shall be done for you.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom
you have a grievance
so that your heavenly Father
may in turn forgive you your faults."
Mark 11:22-25
Believe in Jesus.
Believe in his power.
He can do it.
Pray.
Pray to Jesus.
Ask for what you need.
Believe that Jesus will give you
all that you need...
and more.
Forgive.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Jesus wants to heal you.
He wants to give you new life and hope.
(November 12, 2004 6:07 AM CST)
Yesterday someone sent me these pictures
Someone put American flags by all our mailboxes
"The favors of the Lord I will sing forever;
Forever is a long time.
of the
sky in Blair, Nebraska
on November 8th.
on the curb in my neighborhood.
Very nice of them for Veteran's Day yesterday.
God bless them.
through all generations
my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said,
'My kindness is established forever.'
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness..."
Psalms 89:1-3
The Lord is faithful.
You can trust in him.
He is established.
He is consistent.
He is holy.
From generation to generation he is there.
He is faithful.
Stay close to him.
(November 11, 2004 6:13 AM CST)
We honor all veterans today.
"He is the image of the invisible God,
He is there.
Many gave their lives for us
and for our freedom.
God bless every one of them.
the firstborn of all creatures.
In him everything in heaven
and on earth was created,
things visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominations,
principalities or powers;
all were created through him,
and for him."
Colossians 1:15-16
God is there.
He is invisible,
but rest assured he is there.
He is watching over you and your family.
He created you.
He loves you.
He wants the best for you.
He is there for you.
(November 10, 2004 5:53 AM CST)
"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
Why?
then returned from the Jordan
and was conducted by the Spirit
into the desert for forty days..."
Luke 4:1-2
Why go to the desert?
Why did Jesus do this?
You would think he should be out preaching and
teaching and healing the sick.
He needed a time for prayer.
He needed to listen to the Father.
He needed to be prepared for what was to come.
He needed time to think about his mission.
He needed to be renewed in body and spirit.
We should do the same.
Even 5 minutes a day...give them to the Lord.
Set aside that time for you and the Lord.
Be renewed inside and out.
You need that contact with the infinite.
(November 9, 2004 5:51 AM CST)
Please, pray for my uncle in Ohio.
"The congregations grew stronger in faith
Let us pray today for an increase in faith.
He is having surgery again today.
God be with him and his family.
and daily increased in numbers."
Acts 16:5
May our churches be strong and growing.
We pray for holy pastors to lead us.
We pray for many people to discover Jesus daily.
God be with us.
Bless your people, Lord Jesus.
Increase our faith.
(November 8, 2004 5:56 AM CST)
"During the meal Jesus took bread,
Jesus gave his life for us.
blessed and broke it,
and gave it to them.
'Take this,' he said,
'this is my body.'
He likewise took a cup, gave thanks
and passed it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them:
'This is my blood,
the blood of the covenant,
to be poured out on behalf of many.
I solemnly assure you,
I will never again drink
of the fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it new
in the reign of God.'"
Mark 14:22-25
He offered up his body and blood as a sacrifice.
He overcame sin and death.
We remember this in Holy Communion.
It is a new covenant.
We have life because of his great love for us.
Thank you, Jesus, for offering your life for us.
Thank you very much.
(November 7, 2004 6:06 AM CST)
Yesterday I went to see the movie
Therese
.
"Praise the name of the Lord;
It is Sunday.
It is at the Oak View 24 theaters in Omaha.
It is the story of Therese Martin of Lisieux, France.
She only lived 24 years (1/2/1873 to 9/30/1897),
but is known around the world.
Here are some
pictures of her
.
Her book is called
The Story of a Soul
.
Praise you servants of the Lord..."
Psalms 135:1
It is the Lord's Day.
Go to church and praise the Lord.
Sing songs to the Lord who made you.
Offer thanks to the Lord most high.
He is God.
He made you.
Give praise to the Lord.
(November 6, 2004 6:12 AM CST)
Please, pray for my niece.
Yesterday afternoon I went to
Village Pointe Mall
She is in the hospital.
Thanks.
at 168th and West Dodge Road.
I bought a new Walkman at the Best Buy that just opened.
They even gave me 10 percent off.
This is the main street looking west.
You know how I like to stand in the middle of the street
and take pictures.
It is an outdoor mall, so it will be cold
going from store to store this winter.
This ball is rotating on the water below it...
a very different sight.
Here is Jimmy Buffett's place.
This is the main street looking east.
(November 5, 2004 5:55 AM CST)
"'God resists the proud
There are temptations.
but bestows his favor on the lowly.'
Therefore submit to God;
resist the devil
and he will take flight.
Draw close to God,
and he will draw close to you."
James 4:6-8
There is sin.
We are surrounded by evil.
Tell the devil to be gone
in the name of Jesus.
The name of Jesus is very powerful.
Take that step toward the Lord.
He will surround you with his love.
He will protect you from evil.
He is there.
(November 4, 2004 6:10 AM CST)
President Bush will continue
Yesterday after the funeral
"What we are aiming at in this warning
Is your heart pure?
to be the president for 4 more years.
Let us pray for him and all elected officials.
They need the Holy Spirit in their lives.
they released these balloons of all different colors...
a very interesting sight on a cold sunny fall afternoon.
I just stared at all those colorful dots in the sky.
I saw many people there that I have not seen in a long time.
is the love that springs from a pure heart,
a good conscience, and sincere faith."
1 Timothy 1:5
Do you love the Lord with all that you are?
He loves you...do you return this love?
Do you study about what God says
is right and wrong in the Bible?
Do you make an effort to do what is right
and pleasing to the Lord?
Is your faith alive?
Are you growing in your faith?
Are you any different than a year ago?
Are you moving toward or away from God?
Aim high...
aim for the Lord.
Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.
(November 3, 2004 6:00 AM CST)
They had a nice article
about Pam
Here is
a story
that a friend sent me the other day.
From page 1333 of my Bible:
"The word is near you,
Jesus, I believe in you.
in the newspaper yesterday.
It was on page 4-B in the evening paper.
Wow...she did a lot for so many people.
The funeral is today.
I kept telling people
that I did not know anyone in her family.
It turns out that I knew her dad.
I talked to him last night for a few minutes
and gave him a hug.
on your lips and in your heart.
For if you confess
with your lips that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
Faith in the heart leads to justification,
confession on the lips to salvation."
Romans 10:8-10
I say this with my lips.
May they always give you praise.
I trust in you.
You are all that I need.
I give my heart to you today.
I believe that you died for me
and rose from the dead.
You are awesome.
You are my joy.
Forgive my sins.
Lead me to the light.
Show me the path to life.
I believe in you.
Amen.
(November 2, 2004 5:58 AM CST)
It's that day to vote.
This morning I'm testing out my printer.
"On one occasion, while they were engaged
Each of us is called.
I plan to vote right after 8am
when the polls open.
I pray that it will be a fair election.
I pray that the persons
that God truly calls to serve will win.
It is a very interesting point in history.
Who will lead us for the next 4 years?
I had the color ink cartridge refilled
at the Mall last night.
I'm testing it on this picture of
Maui
.
Not too bad.
The picture does not have enough detail
to be an 8 by 10 size that I printed.
The printer seems to work fine.
in the liturgy of the Lord and were fasting,
the Holy Spirit spoke to them:
'Set apart Barnabas and Saul for me to do
the work for which I have called them.'
Then, after they had fasted and prayed,
they imposed hands on them and sent them off."
Acts 13:2-3
Some are called to be elected leaders.
Each of us has a task.
Each day is a new assignment.
Be in prayer.
Fast, if the Lord calls you to that.
Celebrate the liturgy of the Lord.
Be part of a community that will send you.
They will back you up with even more prayer.
They will "refill" you when you are down.
(November 1, 2004 5:48 AM CST)
Happy All Saints Day to you!
It is a rainy dreary dark morning.
Jesus said,
We need the Lord.
"I am the light of the world."
John 9:5
We need the light.
We can't see where we are going without him.
He is the way.
We will be lost without him.
Jesus, light our way.
Show us the path to life.
We need you.
