(April 30, 2006 Sun 8:27 AM CDT)
"Up to this very hour
Paul and his followers had a hard time.
we go hungry and thirsty, poorly clad,
roughly treated, wandering about homeless.
We work hard at manual labor.
When we are insulted
we respond with a blessing.
Persecution comes our way;
we bear it patiently.
We are slandered, and we try conciliation.
We have become the world's refuse,
the scum of all;
that is the present state of affairs."
1 Corinthians 4:11-13
It was not easy.
He suffered for what he believed.
The Christian life is difficult.
People will give you a hard time.
Know that Jesus is there with you.
Be patient.
Respond with a blessing.
(April 29, 2006 Sat 9:10 AM CDT)
We have a 100% chance of rain today here in Omaha.
"After John's arrest, Jesus appeared in Galilee
Jesus calls you.
A sure thing.
proclaiming the good news of God:
'This is the time of fulfillment.
The reign of God is at hand!
Reform your lives and
believe in the gospel!'"
Mark 1:14-15
Are you willing to change?
Will you listen to him?
Now is the time.
It is the time of fulfillment.
Believe in Jesus.
(April 28, 2006 Fri 6:23 AM CDT)
I played golf last night at Fox Run in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
"Shout joyfully to God, all you on earth,
Praise the Lord.
I got a par on hole number 7.
It was my first par of 2006.
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise."
Psalms 66:1-2
Lift up your voice to him.
He is worthy of all our praise.
Give glory to God.
Praise his holy name.
(April 27, 2006 Thu 6:22 AM CDT)
"Have no love for the world,
We live in the world,
nor the things that the world affords.
If anyone loves the world,
the Father's love has no place in him,
for nothing that the world affords
comes from the Father."
1 John 2:15-16
but we should not get too comfortable.
The world is passing away,
but the Word of God is not passing away.
We are just here on temporary assignment.
Your home is in heaven.
Travel light/lite.
(April 26, 2006 Wed 6:19 AM CDT)
"Love your fellow Christians always.
Be thoughtful of other Christians.
Do not neglect to show hospitality,
for by that means some have entertained angels
without knowing it."
Hebrews 13:1-2
They are your brothers and sisters in faith.
Be kind to them.
God bless them and help them grow in faith.
May the angels watch over them.
(April 25, 2006 Tue 6:16 AM CDT)
"Now in Christ Jesus
The door of grace has been opened.
you who once were far off
have been brought near
through the blood of Christ."
Ephesians 2:13
Come near to God.
Come see who he is.
He gave his life for you.
(April 24, 2006 Mon 6:17 AM CDT)
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
Believe in Jesus.
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him,
"We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them,
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said,
"Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas,
"Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him,
"My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him,
"Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
John 20:24-29
You will be blessed.
He will bring peace to you.
See with the eyes of faith and believe.
(April 23, 2006 Sun 8:21 AM CDT)
Today is Confirmation Day for my nephew.
"Then Jesus said to them,
Scripture points to Jesus.
God bless him and all those in this class.
God bless his family.
Yesterday I listened to the Easter sermon (04/16/06) from
TC
.
The pastor mentioned the story of
Michael Costello
.
He was a skydiving instructor and
gave his life for his student in June, 1997.
'What little sense you have!
How slow you are to believe
all that the prophets have announced!
Did not the Messiah have to undergo all this
so as to enter into his glory?'
Beginning, then, with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted for them every passage of Scripture
which referred to him.
By now they were near the village
to which they were going,
and he acted as if he were going farther.
But they pressed him:
'Stay with us.
It is nearly evening ---
the day is practically over.'
So he went in to stay with them."
Luke 24:25-29
It tells us he had to suffer and die.
He would be a sacrifice.
He would give his life for his people.
It is evening.
Invite him in.
Ask him to stay with you.
(April 22, 2006 Sat 8:49 AM CDT)
Peter turned around at that,
Don't be distracted.
and noticed that the disciple
whom Jesus loved was following.
Seeing him, Peter was prompted to ask Jesus,
"But Lord, what about him?"
"Suppose I want him to stay until I come," Jesus replied,
"how does that concern you?
Your business is to follow me."
John 21:20-22
Don't look at others.
Jesus has given you an assignment.
Do what he asks of you.
Follow him.
That is your business.
(April 21, 2006 Fri 6:20 AM CDT)
"When they had eaten their meal,
Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved him.
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
Do you love Jesus?
Is he important in your life?
Do you think of him often during the day?
Talk to him.
Tell him.
(April 20, 2006 Thu 6:25 AM CDT)
Jesus said to them:
Jesus will forgive you sins.
"Thus it is written
that the Messiah must suffer and
rise from the dead on the 3rd day.
In his name,
penance for the remission of sins
is to be preached to all the nations,
beginning in Jerusalem.
You are witnesses to this.
See, I send down upon you
the promise of my Father.
Remain here in the city
until you are clothed
with the power from on high."
Luke 24:46-49
You can be set free.
He will send the Holy Spirit to you.
It is a promise to you.
(April 19, 2006 Wed 6:23 AM CDT)
"Jesus came forward and addressed them
This is a promise for you.
in these words:
'Full authority has been given to me
both in heaven and on earth,
go, therefore, and make disciples
of all the nations.
Baptize them in the name
of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Teach them to carry out
everything I have commanded you.
And know that I am with you always,
until the end of the world!'"
Matthew 28:18-20
Hold on to it.
Jesus is with you always.
He is there all the days of your life.
Hold on to him.
(April 18, 2006 Tue 6:12 AM CDT)
Yesterday I had someone fix the leaking faucet
"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,
Twice last week the story of Moses
on the back of my house.
God bless them and the work they do.
The dripping was making a hole in the ground.
and the Lord swept the sea
with a strong east wind throughout the night
and so turned it into dry land.
When the water was thus divided,
the Israelites marched into
the midst of the sea on dry land,
with the water like a wall
to their right and to their left."
Exodus 14:21-22
and the 10 Commandments were on TV.
The Lord heard the prayer of Moses.
The Lord saved his people.
You will see the victory of the Lord (verse 13).
(April 17, 2006 Mon 6:17 AM CDT)
"This is the day the Lord has made;
It is a day to rejoice.
let us be glad and rejoice in it."
Psalms 118:24
Jesus has arisen from the dead.
He is alive.
It is a new day.
Today is the day.
Thank you, Jesus.
(April 16, 2006 Sun 8:15 AM CDT)
Happy Easter to you and your family!
"The women hurried away from the tomb
The Lord sends peace to you this day.
God bless you today on this holy day.
half-overjoyed, half-fearful, and
ran to carry the good news to his disciples.
Suddenly, without warning,
Jesus stood before them and said,
'Peace!'
The women came up and embraced his feet
and did him homage.
At this Jesus said to them,
'Do not be afraid!
Go and carry the news to my brothers
that they are to go to Galilee,
where they will see me.'"
Matthew 28:8-10
He tells you to not be afraid.
He has risen from the tomb.
He has overcome death.
Go to see him.
(April 15, 2006 Sat 9:33 AM CDT)
"As it grew dark,
Joseph was a follower of Jesus.
Joseph from Arimathea arrived ---
a distinguished member of the Sanhedrin.
He was another who looked forward
to the reign of God.
He was bold enough to seek an audience
with Pilate and
urgently requested the body of Jesus.
Pilate was surprised that Jesus
should have died so soon.
He summoned the centurion and
inquired whether Jesus was already dead.
Learning from him that he was dead,
Pilate released the corpse to Joseph.
Then, having brought a linen shroud,
Joseph took him down,
wrapped him in the linen,
and laid him in a tomb
which had been cut out of rock.
Finally, he rolled a stone
across the entrance of the tomb.
Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene and Mary
the mother of Joses
observed where he had been laid."
Mark 15:42-47
He took the body of Jesus and
buried it in a tomb.
But Jesus is more powerful than death.
The tomb could not keep Jesus down.
(April 14, 2006 Fri 7:44 AM CDT)
"When they had crucified Jesus,
Jesus died for us.
they divided his clothes
among them by casting lots;
then they sat down there
and kept watch over him."
Matthew 27:35-36
He did this because he loves us.
He wants to forgive our sins,
so we can live with him forever.
Jesus, forgive my sins.
I want to stay near you always.
Thank you for hearing my prayer.
(April 13, 2006 Thu 6:18 AM CDT)
"When Jesus returned he found them asleep.
Stay awake.
He said to Peter,
"Asleep, Simon?
You could not stay awake for even an hour?
Be on guard and pray
that you may not be put to the test.
The spirit is willing but nature is weak."
Mark 14:47-38
Stay alert.
Pray with Jesus.
He is there in your darkest hour.
(April 12, 2006 Wed 6:19 AM CDT)
"Let no one delude himself.
Seek wisdom from God.
If anyone of you thinks he is wise
in a worldly way,
he had better become a fool.
In that way he will really be wise,
for the wisdom of this world
is absurdity with God."
1 Corinthians 3:18-19
He is all knowledge.
He is your inspiration.
Ask the Lord for wisdom from above.
(April 11, 2006 Tue 6:16 AM CDT)
Yesterday at lunchtime in downtown Omaha
"Jesus said,
Jesus forgave the people who killed him.
I saw a few thousand people in the street
at 19th and Douglas and east of there.
It was an immigration rally.
I did not understand what the speakers were saying.
'Father, forgive them;
they do not know what they are doing.'"
Luke 23:34
He loved them.
He died for them.
They did not understand.
Jesus, help us to understand your love for us.
(April 10, 2006 Mon 6:16 AM CDT)
This is a Scripture reading from Cathedral yesterday.
"The Lord God has given me
Jesus spoke out.
a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear..."
Isaiah 50:4
He gave hope to the weary.
He is with us each morning.
He gives us words of encouragement.
Open our ears, Lord, to hear your words.
(April 9, 2006 Sun 8:23 AM CDT)
We begin Holy Week.
"The groups preceding Jesus as well as
Jesus enters Jerusalem.
It is a week of many blessings.
Will you enter in to it?
One of my neighbors in my old neighborhood died.
Pray for her and her family.
God be with them today.
those following kept crying out:
'Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!'
As he entered Jerusalem
the whole city was stirred to its depths,
demanding, 'Who is this?'
And the crowd kept answering,
'This is the prophet Jesus
from Nazareth in Galilee.'"
Matthew 21:9-11
The people welcome him.
It is a time of great joy and excitement.
Welcome Jesus this week into your life.
(April 8, 2006 Sat 8:59 AM CDT)
A lawyer asked Jesus,
Love God.
"Teacher, which commandment of the law
is the greatest?"
Jesus said to him:
"'You shall love the Lord your God
with your whole heart,
with your whole soul,
and with all your mind.'
This is the greatest and first commandment.
The second is like it:
'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
On these two commandments
the whole law is based,
and the prophets as well."
Matthew 22:35-40
Love your neighbor.
Love with your whole heart, soul and mind.
Do this and you will live.
(April 7, 2006 Fri 6:20 AM CDT)
Yesterday I went to see Dr. Dowell.
"Jesus performed many other signs as well ---
Jesus did many things.
He said the pressure in my eyes
was normal 20 (right) and 18 (left).
Thank God for the eye drops (Cosopt, Lumigan) I take.
God bless the doctor and all
that work in his office.
signs not recorded here ---
in the presence of his disciples.
But these have been recorded to help you believe
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,
so that through this faith
you may have life in his name."
John 20:30-31
Not everything is written down.
He worked many miracles.
The disciples believed in him.
They died for what they believed.
Have faith in Jesus.
He is the Lord.
(April 6, 2006 Thu 6:23 AM CDT)
"Each one of you is a son or daughter of God
You are a child of God.
because of your faith in Christ Jesus.
All of you who have been baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with him."
Galatians 3:26-27
You are his.
He has created you.
He loves you.
(April 5, 2006 Wed 6:19 AM CDT)
Please, pray for someone that hurt their hand at
SFH
.
"Let us confidently approach the throne of grace
Jesus, we come to you.
They got it caught in a door.
God be with them and heal their hand.
Bless their work with the poor.
to receive mercy and favor and
to find help in time of need."
Hebrews 4:16
We ask for your mercy and forgiveness.
Heal our pain.
We need you.
Help us, Lord.
(April 4, 2006 Tue 6:16 AM CDT)
Yesterday 3 of us at work moved from one side
"The Lord is the one to judge me,
The Lord will judge all of us one day.
of the floor to the other.
It is warmer and quieter there.
God bless all my new neighbors.
My spring allergies are starting.
I had to take Allegra this morning.
so stop passing judgment
before the time of his return.
He will bring to light
what is hidden in darkness and
manifest the intentions of hearts.
At that time,
everyone will receive their praise from God."
1 Corinthians 4:4-5
It will be Judgment Day.
Seek the Lord.
Follow in his ways.
Ask him to change your heart.
(April 3, 2006 Mon 6:21 AM CDT)
Yesterday at church at Boys Town
"Jesus called loudly,
That is our sins.
this was the gospel reading.
It is one of my favorites.
Lazarus was dead in the tomb for 4 days.
It is in the Gospel of John chapter 11.
'Lazarus, come out!'
The dead man came out,
bound hand and foot with linen strips,
his face wrapped in a cloth.
'Untie him,'
Jesus told them,
'and let him go free.'"
John 11:43-44
They tie us down.
They bound us.
Jesus calls out to us.
He tells us to come back to life.
Jesus, forgive my sins.
Set me free.
(April 2, 2006 Sun 8:39 AM CDT)
Yesterday I listened to a sermon (03/25/06) from
TC
.
Jesus told them a parable on the necessity
Pray.
This was in the sermon by the pastor.
of praying always and not losing heart:
"Once there was a judge in a certain city
who respected neither God nor man.
A widow in that city kept coming to him saying,
'Give me my rights against my opponent.'
For a time he refused, but finally he thought,
'I care little for God or man,
but this widow is wearing me out.
I am going to settle in her favor
or she will end by doing me violence.'"
The Lord said,
"Listen to what the corrupt judge has to say.
Will not God then do justice to his chosen
who call out to him day and night?
Will he delay long over them, do you suppose?
I tell you,
he will give them swift justice.
But when the Son of Man comes,
will he find faith on the earth?"
Luke 18:1-8
Jesus says to pray and expect great things.
You will receive justice.
It will build your faith.
It will change you.
Pray and keep praying.
Be ready when Jesus returns.
Have faith and trust in him.
(April 1, 2006 Sat 9:37 AM CST)
"Lo, I am about to create new heavens
The Lord is new everyday.
and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing
and happiness in what I create;
For I create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight;
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and exult in my people."
Isaiah 65:17-19
He is new every morning.
He renews your life daily.
You need him.
Rejoice in knowing the Lord.
He is a joy.
