Matthew 20 – 21

Did you ever wonder if the leading priests and Pharisees had pollsters like the ones who are constantly predicting what people feel about any number of issues. It is clear that they really care about what the people think, or at least, what their reaction to their actions would be.

Jesus knew these guys very well. When they asked by what authority he did the things he did, he offered to answer if they would answer one question for him: “Did John’s (the Baptist) authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

Essentially, they couldn’t answer because they were afraid of the people. In fact, even though they wanted to arrest him, they wouldn’t because they were afraid of the crowds.

Are your actions affected by what people think of you? Do you ever refrain from action because wf what people might think or say or do? Something to think about…

Tomorrow, we’ll read Luke 18:15 – 19:48.

Until next time…

Matthew 19 and Mark 10 and Lunch with Pam

Matthew 19 and Mark 10

I think the truth that stood out to me from today’s reading was stated in Mark 10”27: “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

When it comes right down to it, we humans are basically helpless. We are at the mercy of a number of things: germs, disease, other humans, and so on. But God is all-powerful. He is the Creator of the universe. The sun, moon, and stars obey him. We’ve seen Jesus turn water into wine, calm the sea, eliminate disease, and heal the sick.

Isn’t it wonderful that we can seek God and ask his help? He urges us in Matthew 7:7, 8 “Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Tomorrow, we’ll read Matthew 20 – 21.

Lunch with Pam

Today, I drove to Bartow and had lunch with a dear friend of mine whom I used to work with at Rehabilicare. We had a great time. Pam is one of those friends that when you see her, you can talk as if it hasn’t been 5 years since you’ve seen her.

Until next time…

Luke 17:11 – 18:14

Do you think the nine lepers who failed to come back to Jesus had only a temporary remission from their leprosy? Jesus asked the one who returned about where the other nine who had been healed were. Did you notice that the one who returned praising God was a Samaritan? Jesus told him to stand up and go, that his faith had healed him, yet he had already done that.

It should give us pause to realize that there will be no visible signs for when Jesus returns. Jesus uses two examples. In Noah’s time, everything was happening as usual until the day the rains came down. He also talks about Lot and how the people of Sodom & Gomorrah continued with their daily business until the burning sulfur started falling. We need to be constantly living as if the Lord is coming back at any second.

I don’t think I have ever been so impressed with the importance of persistent prayer as I have since we began reading the gospels and Jesus’s examples about why we should be persistence. Are you wearing out God with your persistent prayer? Is there a loved one you have been persistently praying for? Is there a situation that needs to be resolved? Pray persistently. Pray often. Cry out to God. As He says, “So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

Tomorrow, we’ll read Matthew 19 and Mark 10.

Until next time…

John 11 and Some More on the Move

John 11

This chapter is one of my favorites in the book of John, actually in the whole Bible. By this time, Jesus had brought people back to life. Lazarus was different. He was a friend, the brother of Mary and Martha. Lazarus became sick. Mary and Martha must have seen Jesus heal the sick countless times. That they sent for Jesus, telling him their brother was sick, was no surprise. What was a surprise was that Jesus delayed coming to see his friend even though the Scriptures are clear that “Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.” He waited two full days and headed for Judea.

Now, this was a dangerous thing to do, because a few days before, the people in Judea were trying to stone him. But he knew Lazarus had died. In fact, by the time they arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been in the grave for four days.

A lot of mourners were there when Jesus and the disciples arrived. They had come to console the sisters over the death of their brother.

When Martha heard Jesus was coming, she ran to meet him. Mary stayed at home. Martha showed a lot of faith when she told Jesus that if he had been there Lazarus would not have died. Then she said, “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

Martha obviously believed in the resurrection on the last day. Jesus tells here he is the resurrection and the life, that anyone who believes in him will live, “even after dying.”

Martha knows Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. She goes to get Mary and they go to Lazarus’ grave, where Jesus is. Mary says the same thing Martha did, “Lord if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Did you ever wonder what God thinks or how he feels when he sees one of his children weeping? In this case, “a deep anger wells up within Jesus and he was deeply troubled.” He asks where Lazarus was buried and they tell him.

“Then Jesus wept.”

When Jesus has them roll the stone away from the tomb, he is still angry. Martha tries to stop them rolling away the stone saying that by now the smell will be terrible.

You know the rest. They roll the stone away and Jesus thanks the Father for hearing him. He shouts for Lazarus to come out and Lazarus comes forth, hands and feet bound in graveclothes.

Why do you suppose Jesus was angry?

We aren’t told what went on between Lazarus and Jesus and Mary and Martha. It must have been a wonderful time of celebration with lots of hugging and smiling and crying for joy.

Not so for the priests and Pharisees, though. They were determined to kill Jesus and started to seriously plot his death.

Tomorrow, we’ll read Luke 17:11 – 18:14.

Some More on the Move

Today, my house became a little more settled. My cousin Richard gave me a bookcase, which happened to be the first one Mark and I ever bought together. He also gave me a chest of drawers, which happened to previously belong to my mother. It’s an almost perfect match to the dresser my niece and her husband gave me. Richard also gave me a brown sofa consisting of two recliners.  Once again, I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. To top off the day, I got a box with Ida Red apples and Wegman’s cheddar cheese from my brother-in-law Don and sister-in-law Rose.

Oh, I put my camper on craigslist and already had an email about it.

It’s pretty late so I’d better get to bed. I’ve got to go to the chiropractor tomorrow morning.

Until next time…

Luke 16 – 17:10 and Obama’s Czars

Luke 16 – 17:10

There are a few verses that stand out in today’s reading:

· Luke 16:9 “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”

· Lukw 16:13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

· Luke 16:18 “For example, a man who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery. And anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”

· Luke 16:31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”

· Luke 17:10 “In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are unworthy servants who have simply done our duty.’”

Did any of these verses speak to you? Are there verses I haven’t cited that meant something to you?

Tomorrow, we’ll read John 11.

OBAMA'S CZARS

There are very few of us who know just what all of Obama's Czars do, as they quietly go about their "work" in the nation's capital. This listing of their names and job descriptions should be educational to all Americans, no matter what your political leaning. See who they are and realize what they want to do:

Richard Holbrooke -
Afghanistan Czar
Ultra liberal anti-gun former Governor Of New Mexico. Pro-Abortion and pro-drug legalization. Wants to dissolve the 2nd Amendment.

 

Ed Montgomery
Auto recovery Czar
Radical anti-business black activist. Affirmative Action and Job Preference for blacks. University of Maryland Business School Dean ; teaches that US business has caused world poverty. ACORN board member. Communist DuBois Club member.

 

Jeffrey Crowley
AIDS Czar
Radical Homosexual. Gay Rights activist. Believes in Gay Marriage and a Special Status for homosexuals only, including complete free health care for gays.

 

Alan Bersin
Border Czar
The former failed superintendent of San Diego . Ultra-Liberal friend of Hillary Clinton. Served as Border Czar under Janet Reno - to keep borders open to illegals without interference from the Federal government.

 

David J. Hayes
California Water Czar
Senior Fellow of radical environmentalist group "Progress Policy". No training or experience in water management whatsoever.

 

Ron Bloom
Car Czar
Auto Union worker. Anti-business & anti-nuclear. Has worked hard to force US auto makers out of business. Sits on the Board of Chrysler which is now Union-owned. How did this happen?

 

Dennis Ross
Central Region Czar
Believes US policy is the cause of war in the Middle East . Obama apologist to the world. Anti-gun and completely Pro-Abortion.

 

Lynn Rosenthal
Domestic Violence Czar
Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Vicious anti-male feminist. Supports male castration - imagine?

 

Gil Kerlikowske
Drug Czar
Devoted lobbyist for every restrictive gun law proposal, former Chief of Police in liberal Seattle WA . Believes no American should own a firearm. Supports legalization of all drugs.

 

Paul Volcker
Economic Czar
Former head of the Federal Reserve under Jimmy Carter when US economy nearly failed. Obama-appointed head of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board which engineered the Obama economic disaster to US economy. Member of anti-business "Progressive Policy" organization.

 

 

Carol Browner
Energy & Environment Czar
Political Radical. Former head of the EPA - Known for anti-business activism. Strong anti-gun ownership.

 

Joshua DuBois
Faith-Based Czar
Political Black activist. Degree in Black Nationalism. Anti-gun ownership lobbyist. WHAT THE HELL DOES A FAITH BASED CZAR DO ? ? ?

 

Cameron Davis
Great Lakes Czar
Chicago radical anti-business environmentalist. Blames George Bush for "Poisoning the water that minorities have to drink." No experience or training in water management whatsoever. Former ACORN Board member (what does that tell us?)

 

Van Jones
Green Jobs Czar (since resigned)
Black activist with strong anti-white views. Member of American Communist Party and San Francisco Communist Party. Said George Bush caused the 9-11 attacks and wanted Bush investigated by the World Court for war crimes.

 

 

Daniel Fried
Guantanamo Closure Czar
Human Rights activist for Foreign Terrorists. Believes America has caused the Global War on Terrorism. Believes terrorists have rights above and beyond Americans.

 

 

Nancy-Ann DeParle
Health Czar
Former head of Medicare / Medicaid. Strong proponent of Healthcare Rationing (i.e. "Death Panels"). She is married to a reporter for The New York Times.

 

Vivek Kundra
Information Czar
Born in New Delhi , India . Controls all public information, including labels and news releases. Monitors all private Internet emails. (HELLO?)

 

Todd Stern
International Climate Czar
Anti-business former White House Chief of Staff. Strong supporter of the Kyoto Accord; pushing hard for Cap and Trade. Blames US business for Global warming. Anti- US business prosperity.

 

Dennis Blair
Intelligence Czar
Retired US Navy. Stopped US guided missile program he described as "provocative". Chair of ultra-Liberal "Council on Foreign Relations" which blames American organizations for regional wars.

 

George Mitchell
Mideast Peace Czar
Fmr. Sen from Maine Left wing radical. Has said Israel should be split up into "2 or 3 " smaller more manageable plots". (God forbid) A true Anti-nuclear anti-gun & pro-homosexual "special rights" advocate.

 

 

Kenneth Feinberg
Pay Czar
Chief of Staff to Ted Kennedy. Lawyer who got rich off the 9-11 victims payoffs (horribly true).

 

Cass Sunstein
Regulatory Czar
Liberal activist judge who believes free speech needs to be limited for the "common good"; essentially against the 1st Amendment. Has ruled against personal freedoms many times on private gun ownership and right to free speech cases. This guy has to be run out of Washington ! !

John Holdren
Science Czar
Fierce ideological environmentalist, Sierra Club anti-business activist. Claims US business has caused world poverty. No Science training.

 

Earl Devaney
Stimulus Accountability Czar
Spent career trying to take guns away from American citizens. Believes in Open Borders to Mexico . Author of statement blaming US gun stores for drug war in Mexico .

 

J. Scott Gration
Sudan Czar
Native of Democratic Republic of Congo . Believes US does little to help Third World countries. Council of foreign relations, asking for higher US taxes to support United Nations.

 

Herb Allison
TARP Czar
Fannie Mae CEO responsible for the US recession by using real estate mortgages to back up the US stock market. Caused millions of people to lose their life savings.

 

John Brennan
Terrorism Czar
Anti-CIA activist. No training in diplomatic or gov. affairs. Believes in Open Borders to Mexico and a dialog with terrorists and has suggested Obama disband US military. A TOTAL MORON !!!!!

 

Aneesh Chopra
Technology Czar
No Technology training. Worked for the Advisory Board Company, a health care think tank for hospitals. Anti-doctor activist. Supports Obama Healthcare Rationing (i.e. Death Panels) and salaried doctors working exclusively for the Government Healthcare plan.

Adolfo Carrion Jr.
Urban Affairs Czar
Puerto Rico-born Anti-American activist and leftist group member in Latin America . Millionaire "slum lord" of Bronx , NY . Owns many lavish homes and condos which he got from "sweetheart" deals with labor unions. Wants higher taxes on middle class to pay for minority housing and healthcare.

 

Ashton Carter
Weapons Czar
Leftist. Wants all private weapons in US destroyed. Supports UN ban on firearms ownership in America . No other "policy".

 

Gary Samore
WMD Policy Czar
Former US Communist. Wants US to destroy all WMD unilaterally as a show of good faith. Has no other "policy"

 

These are the people who are helping President Obama run our country. Yes, it is a sad situation! Will you forward this to everyone in your mailbox?

 

Until next time…

Luke 14 – 15

Don’t you just love the story of the prodigal son? The father divided his wealth between his two sons. The younger took his, moved away, and wasted it. He finally got so desperate that he worked for a farmer feeding pigs. Pigs are unclean animals for Jews, but this guy got so hungry he wanted to eat the pods he was feeding the pigs.

But, by God’s grace, he came to his senses. Wasn't that his problem all along? He lacked sense. He finally realized that he could ask his father’s forgiveness and ask him to take him as a hired servant.

His father must have spent some time looking for him to come home, because he saw his son when he was still afar off. I love the words Jesus used to describe how the father felt: “filled with love and compassion.” And what the father did: he embraced him and kissed him, he treated him like the son he was instead of like a servant, and he gave him the finest robe in the house. He called for a celebration, saying, “For this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.”

You know that is how God looks at us – with love and compassion. He is ready and eager to forgive us and bring us back to life, if we will turn to him and repent of our sins. He will give us new life and treat us as his son. Praise God!

Tomorrow, we’ll read Luke 16 – 17:10.

Until next time…

Luke 12 – 13

Luke 12 – 13

A couple of things that stood out for me in this reading are:

Luke 12:7 – And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.

Luke 12:15 -- …Life is not measured by how much you own.

Luke 12:21 – Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.

Tomorrow, we’ll read Luke 14 – 15.

This morning I went to the chiropractor and felt so great after leaving there. All of my stuff has been moved from my camper except for the stuff in the refrigerator and some stuff in the bathroom. My friend John moved everything that was left. What a great worker.

My niece Jane and her husband David brought me a set of box springs, a mattress a mirrored dresser and a night table. Such great people.

I am so blessed to have such a great family and so many great friends.

I can’t believe how much was stored in my camper. I’m going to have to get a couple of more bookcases so I can store the food I have no room for in my kitchen cupboards.

Today I bought a microwave cabinet – it’s really a little island – I can put the microwave oven on top and my other electrical stuff in the cabinet and use the fold-out shelf when I need to use it.

Tomorrow, I’m taking a break and going to the movies. I’ll probably see Alex Cross.

Until next time…