(May 31, 2005 6:15 AM CDT)
"...they arrested the apostles and
You can't keep silent the word of God.
threw them into public jail.
During the night, however,
an angel of the Lord
opened the gates of the jail,
led them forth and said,
'Go out now and take your place
in the temple precincts
and preach to the people
all about this new life.'
Accordingly they went into the temple
at dawn and resumed their teaching."
Acts 5:18-21
They tried to lock it up,
but God set it free.
They tried to contain it,
but it is too big.
There is new life in Christ.
It is there for the asking.
Jesus, give me this new life.
(May 30, 2005 7:53 AM CDT)
"Jesus summoned the crowd
Think of others.
with his disciples and said to them:
'If a man wishes to come after me,
he must deny his very self,
take up his cross, and
follow in my steps.
Whoever would preserve his life
will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and the gospel's will preserve it.
What profit does a man show
who gains the whole world
and destroys himself in the process?
What can a man offer
in exchange for his life?
If anyone in this faithless and corrupt age
is ashamed of me and my doctrine,
the Son of Man will be ashamed of him
when he comes with the holy angels
in his Father's glory.'"
Mark 8:34-38
Be thoughtful.
Be of service to them.
Ask what you can do for them.
Follow in the steps of Jesus.
Give your life to him.
(May 29, 2005 8:05 AM CDT)
"Come to him, a living stone,
You are alive.
rejected by men but approved, nonetheless,
and precious in God's eyes.
You too are living stones,
built as an edifice of spirit,
into a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God through Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 2:4-5
You are part of the structure.
Live your life in the Spirit.
Create something beautiful
Offer your life to God.
You are very precious.
(May 28, 2005 6:39 AM CDT)
I planted the flowers in front of my house yesterday.
"I have been crucified with Christ,
Live the life of faith.
I thought I would give the roses another try.
You had to be careful of the thorns...ouch!
I tried planting roses before, but they died.
Here is a picture of them.
and the life I live now is not my own;
Christ is living in me.
I still live my human life,
but it is a life of faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.
I will not treat God's gracious gift as pointless."
Galatians 2:19-21
Christ is alive and his life is in you.
Thank you, Jesus, for this precious gift.
Thank you for the gift of faith.
(May 27, 2005 6:24 AM CDT)
"Jesus told the royal official,
Do you trust Jesus?
'Return home.
Your son will live.'
The man put his trust
in the word Jesus spoke to him,
and started for home."
John 4:50
Do you believe his words?
It takes faith.
It takes a relationship.
Open your heart to Jesus.
Get to know him.
Take a walk with him.
(May 26, 2005 6:20 AM CDT)
It was a little different last night
Jesus read the Scriptures:
May God bless you with a year of favor.
for me at the
Siena/Francis House
.
Usually I write the Thank You notes
to people who make donations.
I helped with dinner for the guests.
My job was to put a ladle worth of
beef tips and gravy over the mashed potatoes.
I was part of the "assembly line" in the kitchen.
God bless all the people there.
"The spirit of the Lord is upon me;
therefore he has anointed me.
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor;
to proclaim liberty to captives,
recovery of sight to the blind
and release to prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the Lord."
Luke 4:18-19
May he set you free.
May you see the truth.
May you help the poor.
This is good news indeed.
(May 25, 2005 6:18 AM CDT)
"Praise the name of the Lord;
The Lord is worthy of all our praise.
Praise, you servants of the Lord
Who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing praise to his name, which we love;
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel for his own possession."
Psalms 134:1-4
We lift up our voices to him in song.
We bless his name.
He is good.
He has chosen us.
We belong to him.
(May 24, 2005 6:16 AM CDT)
"Jesus went down with his parents then,
Jesus had a childhood.
and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them.
His mother meanwhile kept
all these things in her heart.
Jesus, for his part,
progressed steadily in wisdom
and age and grace before God and men."
Luke 2:51-52
He had parents that watched over him.
He was obedient to them even though he had created them.
He became one of us.
He was like us in all things, but sin.
He was tempted just like us, but never gave in.
We have much to learn from him.
He set us a wonderful example to follow.
Let us be like him.
(May 23, 2005 6:09 AM CDT)
Today my niece is graduating from high school.
"One night Paul had a vision.
Maybe you are graduating from school.
God bless her and her family.
God bless all the graduates this year.
A man of Macedonia stood
before him and invited him,
'Come over to Macedonia and help us.'
After this vision, we immediately
made efforts to get across to Macedonia,
concluding that God had summoned us
to proclaim the good news there."
Acts 16:9-10
Where is God calling you next?
Maybe he will send you to another school
or maybe to a job.
Go where the Lord sends you and
share the vision of Christ.
He is the hope of the world.
The Lord is with you.
Go in the name of the Lord.
(May 22, 2005 8:07 AM CDT)
I just heard this on the TV.
"Encourage one another daily
Say positive words to others.
while it is still today..."
Hebrews 3:13
Build up people.
Encourage them to greatness.
Help them when they are down.
Pray for them.
Be a blessing in their lives.
(May 21, 2005 8:31 AM CDT)
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
Lord, we thank you today.
for his kindness endures forever!
Thus let the redeemed of the Lord say,
those who he has redeemed
from the hand of the foe
And gathered from the lands,
from the east and the west,
from the north and the south."
Psalms 107:1-3
We give you all our thanks.
You have redeemed our souls.
You have paid the price for us.
We are most grateful.
We thank you for your kindness.
You are so good to us.
(May 20, 2005 6:19 AM CDT)
Happy Birthday to my Mom today!
From page 1379 of my Bible:
"This means that you are
You are a friend.
strangers and aliens no longer.
No, you are fellow citizens of the saints
and members of the household of God."
Ephesians 2:19
You are special.
God welcomes you.
He puts his arms around you.
He cares very much for you.
Don't be a stranger.
(May 19, 2005 6:20 AM CDT)
The birthday number 99 is today I found out yesterday.
Jesus said,
Jesus has wonderful news for you.
"To other towns I must announce
the good news of the reign of God,
because that is why I was sent."
Luke 4:43
He has great things to tell you.
Be open to his words.
Treasure them.
Hold them near and dear.
(May 18, 2005 6:21 AM CDT)
Happy Birthday to someone that is 99 years old!
"It is in Christ and through his blood
He is generous.
God bless them and their family today.
that we have been redeemed and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous is God's favor to us.
God has given us the wisdom
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased to decree in Christ,
to be carried out in the fullness of time:
namely, to bring all things in the heavens
and on earth into one under Christ's headship."
Ephesians 1:7-10
He is very generous.
We should be most grateful.
He is a loving God.
He loves us very much.
We have been blessed.
(May 17, 2005 6:22 AM CDT)
I should have got hit by a car yesterday
"I saw 4 angels standing at
God's protection is there.
running across 19th and Dodge after work,
but I didn't.
It was a red light, but I was not thinking.
The angels must have been watching over me.
I won't ever do that again!
the 4 corners of the earth;
they held in check the earth's 4 winds
so that no wind blew
on land or sea or through any tree.
I saw another angel come up from the east
holding the seal of the living God.
He cried out at the top of his voice
to the 4 angels who were given power
to ravage the land and the sea,
'Do no harm to the land or sea or the trees
until we imprint our seal on the foreheads
of the servants of our God.'
I heard the number of those who were so marked ---
144,000 from every tribe of Israel..."
Revelation 7:1-4
You have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.
The angels will see that you are not harmed.
Hear the voice of the Lord shouting out to you.
You have been marked.
(May 16, 2005 6:14 AM CDT)
"Finally, draw your strength
Your strength comes from the Lord.
from the Lord and his mighty power.
Put on the armor of God
so that you may be able to stand firm
against the tactics of the devil.
Our battle is not against human forces
but against the principalities and powers,
the rulers of this world of darkness,
the evil spirits in regions above.
You must put on the armor of God
if you are to resist on the evil day;
do all that your duty requires,
and hold your ground."
Ephesians 6:10-13
He will fight your battles.
He is on your side.
It is no contest.
The Lord Jesus is all-powerful.
Call on the name of Jesus.
Resist evil and do good.
The Lord is with you.
(May 15, 2005 8:02 AM CDT)
Happy Pentecost Sunday!
"When the day of Pentecost came
The wind is there.
We pray for the Holy Spirit
to come into all of our lives.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Renew the face of the earth.
it found them gathered in one place.
Suddenly from up in the sky
there came a noise
like a strong, driving wind
which was heard all through the house
where they were seated.
Tongues as of fire appeared,
which parted and came to rest on each of them.
All were filled with the Holy Spirit.
They began to express themselves
in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation
as the Spirit prompted them."
Acts 2:1-4
You can hear it.
You can't see it.
It is the Lord.
The Lord is moving.
The Lord is there.
The fire comes to enlighten us.
The fire burns up the old
and makes room for the new.
The Holy Spirit is there.
Let the Spirit change you.
(May 14, 2005 8:24 AM CDT)
Peter said,
God sees your heart.
"God, who reads the hearts of men,
showed his approval by granting
the Holy Spirit to them
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
He knows you inside and out.
What is there?
Does he see goodness and kindness?
Does he see a heart of faith?
Ask for the Holy Spirit.
Ask for a pure heart beautiful to behold.
(May 13, 2005 6:26 AM CDT)
"Jesus called his disciples to him and said:
We are presented with problems each day.
'My heart is moved with pity for the crowd.
By now they have been with me 3 days,
and have nothing to eat.
I do not wish to send them away hungry
for fear they may collapse on the way.'"
Matthew 15:32
How should we resolve them?
What will it take?
Jesus is there.
He knows the answer.
Seek his knowledge and wisdom.
He knows what is best.
(May 12, 2005 6:20 AM CDT)
Jesus said,
Do you love the Lord?
"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
Do you keep his words?
Check yourself.
Are you doing what you want or
what the Lord asks of you?
Keep his words close to your heart.
(May 11, 2005 6:19 AM CDT)
Please, pray for someone that is having surgery today.
"Everything written before our time
What a beautiful prayer!
God be with them, their family, doctors and nurses.
was written for our instruction,
that we might derive hope
from the lessons of patience and
the words of encouragement in the Scriptures.
May God,
the source of all patience and encouragement,
enable you to live in perfect harmony
with one another
according to the spirit of Christ Jesus,
so that with one heart and voice
you may glorify God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 15:4-6
May God be your source
of all that you need today.
May Jesus be your encouragement.
Give glory to the Lord.
(May 10, 2005 6:08 AM CDT)
"The God of all grace,
There is suffering in this life.
who called you to his everlasting glory in Christ,
will himself restore, confirm, strengthen,
and establish those who have suffered a little while."
1 Peter 5:10
All is not perfect.
We struggle at times, but Christ is there.
He will give you the grace.
He will restore you.
Offer up your sufferings to the Lord.
(May 9, 2005 6:14 AM CDT)
"...you must lay aside
You want new life.
your former way of life and the old self
which deteriorates through illusion and desire,
and acquire a fresh, spiritual way of thinking.
You must put on that new man
created in God's image,
whose justice and holiness are born of truth."
Ephesians 4:22-24
You need something different.
It is a new way of thinking.
You become a new creation.
You are changed.
You find truth.
Jesus is the Lord.
(May 8, 2005 8:00 AM CDT)
Happy Mother's Day!
Yesterday afternoon I had the windows open in the car.
I just heard this on the TV:
"Be still and know that I am God."
Where do you find the Lord?
God bless all the mothers today.
It was a windy day.
My monthly parking tag that was hanging
from the rearview mirror blew away.
It went right out the passenger window.
It was blowing across the Westroads Mall
parking lot heading north.
I drove so far ahead of it and
then parked the car and got out then chased it.
It was so funny!
I could not believe it was happening ---
me running after this piece of paper.
I did catch up with it and retrieved it.
I'm still laughing about it.
It was comical.
Psalms 46:10
Where is he at?
He is there in the quiet stillness of your heart.
We need to turn off the TV and radio
and listen to the Lord who made us.
We need this daily contact with Jesus.
He is our source of peace.
He will renew you.
(May 7, 2005 8:30 AM CDT)
"The woman said to Jesus:
Jesus is the promised one.
"I know there is a Messiah coming.
(This term means Anointed.)
When he comes, he will tell us everything.'
Jesus replied,
'I who speak to you am he.'"
John 4:25-26
He was sent from the Father to us.
People waited hundreds of years for him.
He came and visited his people.
He changed their lives forever.
It takes faith to believe in Jesus.
He is the one.
There is no other.
(May 6, 2005 6:17 AM CDT)
"Jesus began his discourse,
You need help to know the truth.
'Be on your guard.
Let no one mislead you.'"
Mark 13:5
You need the Holy Spirit.
He will lead you and guide you.
Many are trying to lead you away from the Lord.
Stay near to him and listen to his voice.
Be on guard.
(May 5, 2005 6:20 AM CDT)
"Jesus entered Peter's house and
Jesus, reach out and touch the sick.
found Peter's mother-in-law
in bed with a fever.
He took her by the hand and
the fever left her.
She got up at once and
began to wait on him."
Matthew 8:14-15
Heal them.
Be with them.
Restore them to health.
Take their pain away.
We ask this in your holy name.
(May 4, 2005 6:14 AM CDT)
"Hear, O God, my cry;
Call out to the Lord.
listen to my prayer!
From the earth's end I call to you
as my heart grows faint.
You will set me high upon a rock;
you will give me rest,
for you are my refuge,
a tower of strength against the enemy.
Oh, that I might lodge in your tent forever,
take refuge in the shelter of your wings!"
Psalms 61:1-5
He hears your prayer.
He is your rock.
Hold on to him.
He is your shelter.
He is your strength.
(May 3, 2005 6:24 AM CDT)
"You are the salt of the earth.
The world should be a different place because of you.
But what if salt goes flat?
How can you restore its flavor?
Then it is good for nothing
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."
Matthew 5:13
Your life should touch others.
You should have a positive impact.
You are salt.
Act like it.
(May 2, 2005 6:16 AM CDT)
"Jesus said to them,
Stay awake.
'Why are you sleeping?
Wake up, and pray that you
may not be subjected to the trial.'"
Luke 22:46
Be alert.
Evil is all around us.
Don't let it into your life.
Push it away in the name of Jesus.
Pray for strength to fight temptations.
Do what is right and pleasing to the Lord.
(May 1, 2005 8:06 AM CDT)
"On the first day of the week
They gathered each week.
when we gathered for the breaking of bread,
Paul preached to them.
Because he intended to leave the next day,
he kept on speaking until midnight."
Acts 20:7
They got together to worship the Lord.
They broke bread and gave thanks.
Paul preached to them.
He had a lot to say.
They needed to learn many things.
Attend church each week.
Be open to what the Lord wants to teach you.
It is the Lord's Day.
Give him your time and full attention.
