Verses For the Week -- Verses From Hebrews

Hebrews 1:1-2 -- "In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe."

Hebrews 12:1-2 -- "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 13:8 -- "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." 

Weekend Sermon -- Give Thanks

     Welcome to the Weekend Sermon.  I am posting the sermon one day later than usual because the library where I have computer access was closed on Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday.  I wasn't too sure I was going to be able to post the sermon today.  We are having terrible weather here where I live.  On Thanksgiving day, we had the most rainfall in the area's recorded history for that day.  Now, we are having freezing rain.  The trees are all full of ice, but the temperature is right at 32 degrees, so the roads are OK for now.  I have to go to work and drive a long way in this mess, so please pray that I will make it up and down the road safely.
     I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.  I hope you had a good day with your friends and family.
     In prayer this week, let's continue to pray for those who are recovering from injuries in Paris.  Let us also pray that there are no more terrorist attacks.  Continue to pray for peace in Syria and Iraq.  Pray for the spread of the message of Jesus in Iran, Pakistan, Turkey and Vietnam.
     For our sermon this week, I just wanted to focus on the theme of giving thanks for what we have.  I also want to share some of the things in my life that I feel especially thankful for.
     One of the great chapters on thanksgiving found in the Bible is Psalm 136.  In this Psalm, the writer records all of the great things that God did for the people of Israel.  Each verse is punctuated by the phrase, "His love endures forever."  I urge you to read this entire Psalm this Thanksgiving weekend.
     Over the past several days, I have been looking back on my life and thinking about some of the things that I have to be especially thankful for.  I have a somewhat pessimistic personality, and I have suffered from depression on and off since I was a teenager. I know that it helps me to fight depression to think about the good things in life.  With that in mind, please bear with me as I just reflect on what I wish to thank the Lord Jesus for over the course of my life.
     When I was a boy, my Mom and Dad were involved in taking collies to dog shows.  I have loved dogs from an early age.  One of my dreams was to have a dog who was extra special and wonderful.  Some people call these lifetime dogs.  They only come along once in a lifetime.
     In 1985, the Lord Jesus gave me my dog of a lifetime.  He gave me Toby my forever friend.  Jesus knew that we needed each other, and He brought the two of us together.  I spent the best 11 and a half years of my life with that dog.
     I am truly grateful to the Lord for bringing him into my life.  Toby helped me to overcome depression at a very difficult time in my life.  He helped me to understand unconditional love.
     Thank you Jesus for my friend Toby.
     Another thing that has been of immense importance in my life is jazz music.  I enjoy many different kinds of music, but jazz is my true love.  I thank the Lord for allowing me to hear my first jazz record when I was 16 years old.  I heard Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond and I feel in love with jazz.
     Many nights when I felt discouraged and let down by the world, I either have put on a jazz CD or turned on the local public radio station that plays jazz all night, and I feel the weight of the world lift  away a little.  I really don't know what my life would look like without trumpets, saxophones and a host of other instruments playing every night in my room.
     Thank you Jesus for jazz and allowing me to learn to play the trumpet so I can play a little jazz of my own.
     In high school, my favorite class was literature.  I love books, and I love reading.  I love reading all kinds of things.  One of my great dreams was to be a published writer.  After I graduated from Bible college and then regular college, I started submitting some of my writing for publication.  The Lord has blessed my writing far above anything that I ever imagined.
     When I first started writing poems each morning, with Toby right by my desk as always, I never dreamed that I would have over 75 poems published in literary journals.  I also never thought that the Lord would use my writing as the primary means by which I have fulfilled His call on my life to spread the message of His love.
      By the grace of the Lord, I have been able to write several articles and devotional pieces that have been translated into other languages and reached around the world.  I am so thankful to the Lord for allowing this dream to come true and for using it for His honor and glory.
     In that regard, I am so thankful for the opportunity to share what the Lord means to me on this blog.  I pray each day for all of you who read it, and I pray that the Lord will use it to bring others to know how great He truly is.
     Thank you Jesus for allowing me to be a writer.
     None of the good things in my life would have been possible without a relationship with Jesus Christ.  That is the one thing in my life for which I am the most grateful.  My parents took me to church and Sunday school when I was just a little boy.  They also sacrificed greatly so that I could attend a Christian school.
     I heard about Jesus all of my life.  He has been the center of my life since I accepted Him as my Savior and Lord as a boy.  Without Jesus in my life, I would not be here today.  He is my rock and my salvation.
     I join with the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:15 when he says, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift."  That gift is His Son the Lord Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us.
     I hope that during this thanksgiving time that you will take a few moments to reflect back on your life and consider what truly wonderful things the Lord Jesus has given you.  We have so much to be thankful for.  We have many special things to be thankful for.  We have Jesus to be most thankful for.
     Next week, I hope to be back on regular schedule with the postings.  I hope to post the verses on Monday weather permitting.  The review will appear on Wednesday, and I will post the sermon on Friday.  May God bless each and every one of you.  Amen.

Book Review -- A Good Poetry Book

First of all, I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Today, I would like to recommend a good poetry book that I have just finished.  This book is entitled "Felicity" written by the poet Mary Oliver.  Mary Oliver is one of my favorite contemporary poets.  Her poetry is very accessible.  This particular volume is divided into three sections called, "Journey," "Love," and "Felicity".

Most of the poems in the book are one page long.  My two favorite poems in this volume are "I Wake Close to Morning" and "Nothing is Too Small Not to be Wondered About."

Besides this volume, I would recommend all of the poetry books available from Mary Oliver.

P.S.  Just a reminder, the sermon will not appear until Saturday this week.  This also depends on the weather, as freezing rain is anticipated from Friday through Sunday.

Verses For the Week -- Verses From John

John 1:9-12 --  "The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.  He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not receive him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."

John 1:16 -- "Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given."

John 15:9 -- "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now, remain in my love."

Weekend Sermon -- "A Repeated Sign"

     Welcome to a new edition of the Weekend Sermon.  Thank you for reading the blog.  It is my prayer that all of you are doing well.
     This week I have been feeling quite a bit better.  Thank you for all of your prayers.  I also got some good news about my roof damage due to the wind storm.  It is not going to cost me as much to fix as I thought.  I am very happy about this.
     In prayer this week, let us focus our prayers on France and those still recovering from the tragedy that occurred there.  Let us all pray for an end to terrorism around the world.  I am so tired of all the violence and warfare in this world.  Lord, let there be peace.  Please come back soon so that all may be well on this troubled earth.
     For the last several weeks, we have been concentrating on the book of John and the way in which John presents the deity of Jesus Christ.  Last week, we looked at the ultimate sign in the book of John which is the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the grave.
     In today's message, I want to focus on John 21.  In this chapter, we see Jesus performing a miracle at the end of His ministry that He also performed near the beginning of His ministry.
     John 21 finds the disciples not quite knowing what to do.  Jesus has already appeared to them since His resurrection. Peter, Thomas, John, Nathaniel, James and two other disciples decided to go fishing on the Sea of Galilee.  They fished all night, but they were not able to catch anything.
    As the Sun was just coming up, Jesus appeared along the shore.  He told the disciples to throw the nets on the other side.  When the disciples did this, they had such a large haul, they could hardly drag in the nets.
    At this time, John realized that Jesus was the one who had commanded them to throw in the net on the other side.  Peter jumped into the water and swam to meet Jesus on the shore.
    John and the other disciples were able to recognize Jesus in this miracle, because this had happened to them before.  Luke 5 records a day when Jesus asked Peter to put down his nets again for a catch.  Peter said that they had fished all night and caught nothing, but since Jesus asked him to do it, Peter put the nets back into the water.  The nets were filled to the point of breaking.  Peter left his nets and worshiped Jesus.  At this point, Jesus asked Peter, James and John to follow Him and become fishers of men.
     I find these two accounts so interesting and full of meaning.  When Jesus performed this miracle the first time, it was His initial call to some of His disciples to join Him on His path of ministry.  He was calling them to be His disciples.  In the second occurrence in John, the disciples feel somewhat discouraged even though they had seen Jesus.
     All of the disciples except John had abandoned Jesus during His time of trial.  In fact, Peter even denied that he knew Jesus.  I'm sure that they all felt that they had let Jesus down.
     Jesus was there to pick up the pieces in His friend's lives.  By performing this same miracle, Jesus was in essence calling His disciples to serve Him again.  He was saying to them that He wanted them to follow Him and spread His messages.  It was like a renewed call to service.  It was a call that the disciples responded to positively.
     Jesus knew that His friend Peter needed a little extra help.  Peter had denied Jesus three times.  Jesus would ask Peter three times if Peter loved Him.  Peter responded that he did each time.  Jesus called Peter to feed His sheep.  Peter took up that call, and he became the leader of the early church.
     What does this repeated sign have to teach us today?  For me this sign demonstrates that Jesus is always ready to forgive me when I fail to do what He wants me to do.  All of us sin and go astray.  However, Jesus is always ready to forgive and offer us a second chance to begin again and follow Him and what He has called us to do.
     Jesus knows that we are weak.  He knows that we are just human beings trying to do the best that we can.  He cares about us, and He will forgive us and help us.
     All of us have betrayed the Lord by our actions at sometime or another.  Jesus wants to forgive.  He gives us the opportunity to serve Him again and make a difference.
     Look at the disciples.  They certainly had their ups and downs.  However, these men changed the entire world.  They spread the message of Jesus' love across the world.  They kept their eyes on Jesus.  They knew that Jesus was there friend and that He cared about them.  Knowing this, they were willing to give up their lives in His service.
     This message will wrap up our series in the Gospel of John.  Next week, I will have a message on the theme of thanksgiving.  On that note, the library where I go to post the sermon will be closed next Friday.  I will be posting the sermon on Saturday next week.  I will post the verses on Monday and a review on Wednesday.
     During the month of December, I will be posting sermons with an Advent theme.  After the first of the year, I will be starting a new series of messages.  I have several different series worked up, but I am not sure which one I want to start the new year with yet.  I will have more to say about his later.  I am also going to do something different with the verses I post on Monday next year as well.  More on this later.  Thank you all for reading the blog.  May God bless you all, and may there be peace on earth.  Amen.

Book Review -- "Buster"

     The book that I am reviewing today was not what I expected, but it turned out to be a really good book nonetheless.  "Buster The Military Dog Who Saved a Thousand Lives" is written by Will Barrow and Isabel George.  The book recounts the time RAF Police Sergeant Will Barrow spent on deployment with Buster his military dog.
     Buster already had experience as a military dog working in Bosnia before he and Will Barrow teamed up.  The pair ended up working in Afghanistan with the mission of finding weapons, bombs and IEDs.  Later, Will and Buster would also work in Iraq just before the British mission ended in that country.
     While Buster was a great military working dog who found weapons and helped to keep the British soldiers safe, Buster proved to be invaluable in another very important way.  Buster helped to keep the morale of the troops up.  He provided comfort and encouragement to all those he came in contact with.
     Sergeant Barrow credits Buster with helping him make it through the tough times in Afghanistan.  The overall theme of the book can be summed up with Will's statement, "Everything was better when he was around."
     There are some very interesting episodes in this book.  I found the descriptions of how a military dog searches for weapons quite interesting.  Sergeant Barrow also gives us good insight into Buster's personality.  Buster didn't like to do vehicle searches.  He would only do 14 vehicle searches, and then he wouldn't do anymore until he had a break.  Buster thought that this type of work was boring.
     I would recommend this book to those who like to read about the dog and human bond and to those who like to read about working dogs.
   

Verses For the Week -- Verses From Psalms

Psalm 46:1-3 -- "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."


Psalm 23:1-4 -- "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.  He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake.  Even though I walk through the darkest valley.  I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

Psalm 57:1 -- "Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge.  I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed."

A Call For Prayer

    The terrible tragedy in Paris yesterday has left me extremely sad this morning.  Let us all pray for the people of France.  Let us pray for the victims of this violence and that those who are injured may recovery.  Let us pray for an end to violence, terrorism and war.

Weekend Sermon -- The Ultimate Sign

     Today is another great day to be able to post the Weekend Sermon.  Thank you for taking the time to read this week's sermon.  I hope that all of you are having a wonderful day.
     My week has been crazy to say the least.  We had a really bad windstorm, and I had a little bit of roof damage.  I think I have it fixed, so I am thankful for that.  Things could have been much worse.  I would ask that you please pray for me regarding my health.  I had to go to the doctor on Wednesday because I was extremely sick.  I had to have a breathing treatment and I am now on five prescriptions to help with my lungs and joint pain.  Please pray that I will feel better soon.  Thank you.
     Let us all pray for an end to the violence that is all around us in this world.  I heard a report on the radio this week that the homicide rate in some of the cities in my country is on the rise.  Let us pray that people will be able to get along and not harm one another.  Let us also continue to pray for peace in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
     As we pray for missions this week, pray for the nations of Sierra Leone, Gambia, Iran and Tajikistan.  Pray that the message of the Gospel will reach these nations.
     For the last several weeks, we have been in a series of messages on how the Gospel of John demonstrates the divine nature of Jesus Christ.  This is presented in the "I Am" statements in the Gospel and through seven sign miracles recorded by John.
     Today, I want to talk about the ultimate sign of who Jesus is that John presents so eloquently.  This sign is the resurrection of Jesus from the grave.
     As we have seen from our studies in John, Jesus went about doing good and healing all manner of sick people and freeing those who were possessed by evil spirits.  Jesus preached a message of love, acceptance and forgiveness.  He said that He was sent from the Father so that whoever would believe in the Son might receive salvation.
     All throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus was opposed by the religious leaders of His day.  They did not agree with His message of love and forgiveness.  They preached a message of exclusion.  They were self-righteous, and they despised Jesus who was the Holy One sent from the Father.  They constantly tried to trap Jesus and discredit Him.
     Finally, the religious authorities seized upon their opportunity to attempt to do away with Jesus and His message.  Jesus was arrested and tried before the High Priest, and Jesus was eventually brought before Pontius Pilate the Roman governor.
     Pilate could find no fault with Jesus, and he wanted to release Jesus.  However, the people who had cried "Hosanna" on Palm Sunday shouted "Crucify him. We have no king but Caesar," on Good Friday.
    Jesus died an excruciating and painful death on the cross.  While He was on the cross Jesus bore our sins in His body.  He became the propitiation for our sins.  He was the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.  After saying, "It is finished," Jesus died.
     At this point, the authorities thought that they had won the victory over Jesus and His teachings.  Jesus was dead, buried, and His body was under guard in a tomb sealed with Pilate's seal.
    On the third day, early on Sunday morning, something miraculous took place.  When the women came to the tomb they discovered that Jesus was no longer dead but He was alive again.  He had been raised from the dead just as He said.
    The resurrection was the ultimate sign of who Jesus is.  When Jesus rose from the dead it was the vindication of all that Jesus taught.  It was the sign showing us that the message of love and forgiveness and the Sermon on the Mount taught by Jesus was the right way and the right message.  The resurrection was the sign that the Father was well pleased with the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  It was the sign that the work of redemption was complete.  Jesus had died for our sins, and then He conquered the consequences of sin by rising again defeating death, hell and the grave.
    No greater sign of who Jesus is and that His message is true can be given than the ultimate sign of the resurrection.  It is a powerful sign of majesty and glory.
     I have had a great time sharing these messages with you about who Jesus is over the past several weeks.  However, what would give me true joy is to know that someone who has never placed their trust in Jesus has come to know Him through these message.
     Maybe you have been struggling with who Jesus is.  John has given us the words and miracles of Jesus to demonstrate that God has come to us in Jesus to show us His love and forgiveness.  He has given the ultimate sign of the resurrection.
    Now it is up to you.  Will you place your faith and trust in the Risen Lord?  Jesus said the whosoever will may come.  Jesus invites you to come to Him today.
     Next week, I would like to just finish up our study in John with a message I am calling "The Repeated Sign".  I hope you will join me next week.  I will post the verses on Monday, and there will be a review on Wednesday.   May God bless you all.
 

Book Review -- "The Red Collar"

    As I said last week, I would not be able to post the book review until today, but I have a good book to post about.  Today's book is a novel written by the French author Jean Christophe Rufin.  Mr. Rufin is an award winning writer as well as one of the co-founders of Doctors Without Borders.
    In "The Red Collar"  there are three main human characters and a dog.  When the novel opens, a former war hero is being held prisoner for a crime which is unknown.  Outside the prison, the man's dog howls and barks almost continually.  A judge has arrived in order to figure out why the prisoner has committed the unknown crime.
    During the course of his investigation, the judge will discover a woman who has her own secrets and who can shed light on what may have motivated the prisoner to commit the crime that is under investigation.  All the while, the dog keeps barking.  However, the judge develops a relationship with and growing admiration for the loyalty of the dog.
     I greatly enjoyed this novel.  I found it to be very well-written and paced.  What I liked was that the author didn't reveal the crime the prisoner committed until well into the novel.  It keeps you guessing.  Also, I think the book has a great ending.  I hope to read some of the other novels this author has written in the future.
     When I can read a novel like this, it makes me remember why I became a writer in the first place and why I love writing so much.

Verses For the Week -- Verses From Ephesians

Ephesians 1:7 -- "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us. "

Ephesians 2:8-10 -- "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith --- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift from God --- not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 5:1-2 -- "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Weekend Sermon -- John 11:1-44

     Welcome to the Weekend Sermon.  It is good to be with you all again this week to post the sermon.  I hope that everyone is doing well today.
     I am thankful to the Lord that we missed out on the bad storms last night.  It is unusual in my area to get severe weather in November, but there were warnings all around me last night.  Thank the Lord, everyone was safe.
     I am currently working on some new ideas for the blog starting next year,  Please pray that the Lord will show me what He wants me to teach on the blog in the weeks and months to come.
     In prayer this week, let us continue to pray for those who are picking up the pieces after the earthquakes and hurricanes in various places.  Let us also continue to pray for peace in this violent and troubled world.  Pray for an end to terrorism and violence in the streets.  Also, let us continue to pray for peace in Syria and South Sudan.
     We have been praying for nations around the world were there are not many Christians as a percentage of the population.  This week remember India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia in prayer.
     For the past few weeks, we have been studying the way the divinity of Jesus is presented in the Gospel of John.  We looked at the "I Am" statements of Jesus, and now we are looking at the sign miracles in John.  Today we examine the resurrection of Lazarus.
     Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha were among Jesus' best friends while He was here on this earth.  Jesus often ate at their home in the city of Bethany.
     One day, word came to Jesus that Lazarus was very sick.  Jesus could have gone immediately and healed his friend.  However, Jesus waited until Lazarus had been dead for four days before He came to Mary and Martha.  They were still in great grief, and they told Jesus that if He had been there, their brother would not have died.
     Jesus felt great sorrow at the death of His friend, and He wept.  Jesus then told them to role away the stone from Lazarus' grave,  Jesus spoke with the Father, and then He called out, "Lazarus, come forth!"  To everyone's amazement, Lazarus came out of the grave still wrapped in the grave clothes.  Jesus commanded them to "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
     This is one of my favorite passages in all of the Bible.  It contains my favorite verse in all of Scripture where Jesus declares Himself to be the resurrection and the life.  Let us explore what we can learn from this passage, and then let us examine how this passage reveals the divine nature of Jesus.
     One thing that really strikes me in this passage is that it not only reveals the divinity of Jesus Christ, it also reveals that Jesus was truly human as well.  While Jesus was on this earth, He had real friendships with people.  We clearly see in this passage that Jesus cared deeply for Lazarus and his sisters.  Jesus also had three close friends among His disciples.  Jesus three closest disciples were Peter, James and John.  I think it is fairly clear from Scripture that John was Jesus' closest friend.  Jesus entrusted the care of His mother to His friend John.
     One of the aspects of our relationship with Jesus that is so important to me is the fact that Jesus has invited us to be His friends.  Jesus said in John 15:15, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business.  Instead, I have called you friends."
     This is a tremendous comfort to me to know that Jesus is my friend.  He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.  As my friend, I can go to Jesus with all of my cares and concerns.  He listens to me and provides me with the awareness of His presence that helps me to make it through the difficult times in life.  He is always there strengthening me and encouraging me to serve Him and do the best that I can in life.
     This passage also reveals to me that Jesus really cares.  He was deeply sorrowful that His friend Lazarus had died.  In the same way, Jesus cares about us.  The Bible says that Jesus is our great High Priest who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities.  He has been tempted in all manner as we have been, yet He is without sin.  He understands our pain, trouble and our weaknesses, and He stands with us and encourages us in each step we take on the path that has been laid our before us.
     The fact of Jesus' weeping in this passage is something that I have thought a lot about.  First of all, I am without doubt that Jesus wept over the fact that His good friend has died.  However, I think that Jesus was weeping for two other reasons.  I think that Jesus wept because He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.  Lazarus had to come back from Heaven to this earth and face everything on earth all over again.  Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but I believe that Jesus knew that He wasn't doing Lazarus any favors.  I also think that Jesus wept because the people that He was closest too still didn't understand who He was and what He came to do.  They did not really believe that He could bring Lazarus back to life.
     I think that there are many things in the world and in the church that Jesus weeps over today.  But that is a message for another time in the near future.
    So, how does this miracle demonstrate the divinity of Jesus.  It does so in three ways.  First of all,, Jesus raised a dead man and brought him back to life.  Only God has the power to bring someone back to life.  However, the four day time period that Lazarus was dead is important in this account.  There was a belief in Jesus' day that after a person died, their spirit lingered near the body for three days until that spirit went to Heaven.  Jesus waited beyond the three days to clearly show that all power belonged to Him in Heaven and on earth.  As God, Jesus could do whatsoever He wished to do.  He had all power.
     Finally, this passage demonstrates the divine power of Jesus because on the last day, Jesus will be the one who raises those who believe in Him to newness of life.  Jesus is the resurrection and the life.  Whoever believes in Him will live even though they die.
     One day, Jesus will come again in power and great glory.  Those who have believed in Him will be raised to a resurrection of life to be with Jesus in a glorified body forever and forever.  Those who denied Jesus as Lord will be raised to a resurrection of destruction where they will be separated from the divine Savior Jesus Christ for all eternity.
     I say to you today, if you have never turned to Jesus for salvation, turn your life over to Him today.  He is the resurrection and the life.  All power belongs to Jesus.  Let Him be your friend now and throughout all of eternity.
     Next week, I will post a message about what is the ultimate sign of who Jesus is.  On Monday, I will post the verses.  Next Wednesday is a holiday in the United States and the library where I post the blog is closed.  Therefore, the review will be delayed until Thursday.  May God bless you all.  Amen.

Book Review -- 2 History Books and A Cat Book

     Today I would like to recommend two history books that I have enjoyed reading and a cat book that I like a lot that I may have mentioned here on the blog before, but I can't remember if I did or not.
     The first history book that I would like to recommend in called, "Hermits" written by Peter France.  In this book, the author explores those who have lived a solitary existence for a variety a reasons.  There is good material in this book about the early monastic movements.
     The second book that I am recommending is entitled, "The Lives of the Popes" written by Richard McBrien.  I have found this to be an excellent historical resource over the years.  All the popes through Benedict XVI have biographies in this book.  I believe that the author's treatment of the popes of the Middle Ages is very well done and interesting.
     Finally, I have been reading once again a cat book that I really enjoy.  "All of My Patients Are Under the Bed" is written by a famous cat veterinarian named Louis Camuti.  Dr. Camuti was the first veterinarian in the United States to limit his practice to cats only.  This great book details how Dr. Camuti began practicing veterinary medicine and how he developed his unique cat practice.  There are some humorous and touching stories in the pages of this volume.
   

Verses For the Week -- Verses From Jude

Jude 17-25 -- "But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.  They said to you, In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.  These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.  But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.  Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear --- hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.  To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy -- to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages now and forevermore!  Amen.