Weekend Sermon -- Apostles' Creed -- "Creator of Heaven and Earth"

      It is good to be with you for another edition of the Weekend Sermon.  I hope that everyone is enjoying good health and doing well.
     I am feeling a little better this week.  Thank you for all of your prayers.  The book is going well.  I am now on the second draft of the manuscript.  I have also completed several other writing projects over the last few weeks.
     As many of you know, I have been trying to get my house sold.  There has been some delay in this because it is not in very good shape.  This week, one of my uncle's offered to help me get things at the house fixed in good enough shape to sell.  This is a real answer to prayer.
     As you go to prayer this week, let us all pray about the situation with diseases around the world.  The news about the zika virus is very disturbing.  Let us pray that this will dissipate.  Let us pray that many of the sicknesses which plague man and animals will be able to be eradicated.  Always, pray for peace in our troubled world.
     Finally in the area of prayer, remember to pray for the spread of the message of Jesus' love around the world.  With that in mind, please pray for the nations of Yemen, Qatar, Azerbaijan and Thailand.
     For the past few weeks, we have been in a series of messages on the Apostles' Creed.  We are examining the Creed section by section in order to more fully understand what it is saying about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as well as other important doctrines of the faith.
     Today, we will examine the phrase, "Creator of Heaven and Earth."  God is the creator of Heaven and Earth.  The Bible makes it quite clear in Genesis 1:1 which says, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth."  This seems to be a straightforward enough statement, but the issue of creation is a hotbed of controversy both inside and outside the church.
     In the church today, there are many divisions over the doctrine of creation.  I want to go over a few of the ideas that are out there, and then I will tell you what I believe and why.
     The predominate belief of the secular scientific community that is also becoming very prominent in the church is the theory of evolution.  Many believe that all life evolved on earth from a simple organism to greater levels of complexity.  In a religious vein, many theologians believe in theistic evolution,  These theologians state that God is the source of the Big Bang, and now God is guiding the evolutionary process.
      Others in the church believe in what is known as the Gap Theory.  This believe states that there is a long gap of time between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.  In this time, there was a pre-adamic creation that would include dinosaurs etc.  According to this theory, the old world was destroyed when Satan rebelled against God.  At that point, God re-created the earth in its present form.
     Another belief is in creation as recorded in the Bible.  God literally created the universe in six literal days and rested on the seventh day.  There is not evolutionary process.
     That is just a very brief overview of a few of the positions about God and creation.  People have filled volumes discussing this topic.
     Now, I am going to state what I believe about the matter.  I believe that God created the Heavens and the Earth.  I do not know how long this process took.  One thing that is important to state is that the Bible is quite clear that there was no death before the sin of Adam.  Paul discusses this clearly in Romans 5:12-21.  Death was introduced into the world as a result of sin.  Those who believe in the Gap theory would believe that there was death in the pre-adamic world as a result of their sin, but there was no death in the re-creation before Adam's sin. This statement by Paul would also show the problem with theistic evolution. I Corinthians 15:26 says that death is God's enemy, and it is the last enemy that will be totally defeated.
    I believe that God created the heavens and the earth.  I believe that God created this world out of nothing.  By the word of His mouth, He spoke all things into existence.  I believe in a literal Adam and Eve.  When Adam sinned, death came into this world and brought a change in this world of cataclysmic proportions.
    When Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, God placed a curse upon the Earth.  That is the reason why everything is so messed up in this world.  God never intended there to be predation in the natural world.  He never intended there to be diseases and germs and storms which kill hundreds of people.  Sin and the curse of sin marred God's original creation.
     Because the original creation has changed, we have an evolutionary process that has developed that is based on natural selection.  However, this was not the way things were originally intended to be.
     When Jesus returns, everything in all of creation will be restored to the was that it existed at the original creation.  When Jesus establishes His rule and reign on the earth, the curse that is now on the earth will be lifted.  This is clearly stated in Revelation 22:3.
     Whatever someone believes about creation, the most important thing to remember is that a powerful and Almighty God made this world.  Even though we see a world marred by sin, the hand of God is clearly on display in this universe.  I don't know how anyone can look at the marvels of creation and not see the power of God.
     I have always loved astronomy.  I was able to study astronomy in college a little, and I have my own telescope.  When I look at the stars and planets in the night sky, I am in awe that a powerful God created all that is in the heavens.  When I see dogs running at play or hear the wolf's howl, I know that there is a mighty God.
     What leaves me in the most awe and wonder is the fact that the God who is the creator of all the universe cares about me.  God loved me so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross to take away my sins.  God wants to have a relationship with me.  He cares about my problems, and He wants to communicate with me in prayer.  God cares about you and loves you as well.  Whosoever will may come to the Father through Jesus Christ the Son.
     One day, all that sin has destroyed will be made right.  I long for that day, and pray each day that Jesus Christ will come quickly to make all things new and perfect once again just as they were at the original creation.
     Next week, we will have two new verses to learn on Monday.  I don't think that I will have a review on Wednesday as I am backed up in my reading.  I may have a review, but it is doubtful.  Next Friday, we will begin looking at what the Apostles' Creed teaches about the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  May God bless you all.  Amen.
   

Book Review -- "The Penguin Lessons"

     The book that I am reviewing today is one of the best books that I've read in a long time.  "The Penguin Lessons" by Tom Michell is an animal, adventure and travel story all rolled into one.
     Tom Michell was a young man from England who wanted to experience the world.  With that thought in mind, he took a teaching job at a prestigious boarding school in Argentina in the mid 1970s.  One day while Tom was visiting Uruguay, he found a colony of dead penguins on the beach where he was walking.  The penguins had been caught in an oil spill and washed up on the shore.  But something caught Tom's eye.  One penguin was still alive.  At that moment, Tom made a decision that changed his life.
     Tom rescued the penguin and cleaned all of the oil off of him.  He then transported the penguin back to the bordering school where Tom made a home for the penguin he named Juan Salvador.
     In this book, Tom tells many interesting stories of the joy that Juan the penguin brought to his life and to the staff and students at the boarding school.
     Besides the interesting account about Juan Salvador, Tom tells about a motorcycle trip he took to find a penguin colony for Juan Salvador.  There are also some great insights into how people lived in Argentina and South America in the 70s.
     I highly recommend this book.  It demonstrates how one act of kindness can make a world of difference.

Verses For the Week

Here are this week's memory verses.  I hope that you have been able to memorize the previous verses.

Micah 6:8 -- "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

I John 5:3 -- "For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments.  And His commandments are not burdensome."

Weekend Sermon -- Apostles Creed -- "Father"

     Welcome to the new edition of the Weekend Sermon.  I thank you all for joining me again this week.  I hope everyone is having a really good day.
     There has been a lot of bad weather in my part of the country this week.  It has been cold, snowy and there has been a lot of freezing drizzle.  Thankfully, the road crews have kept the highways in good condition.
     I haven't been feeling very well this week.  Would you please pray for my health?  Also, since around Thanksgiving, I've been feeling somewhat depressed.  Please pray that I will start to feel better in this way as well.
     In prayer this week, let us focus our prayers on the bad storm that is set to hit the eastern part of the United States.  Some places are predicted to receive two feet of snow.  Please pray that everyone will be safe.  Let us also pray for those suffering from disease and hardship around the world.  Pray for peace in the war torn areas of this planet.
     We have been praying each week for those countries where the number of Christians is small.  Let us pray that the message of Jesus will reach Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Japan.
     Last week, we began our new series of messages about the Apostles' Creed.  We examined the statement "I believe in God."  We just barely scratched the surface of who God is and what it means to believe in Him.
    Today, we will continue examining what the Creed has to say about the first person of the Trinity by looking at the phrase that says God is "the Father."
     One of the main ways that God reveals Himself in the Bible is as our Father.  This is found in both the Old and New Testaments.  In the Old Testament, we see that God refers to Himself as a Father to His people, and He refers to His people as His children.  Isaiah 64:8 states, "But now, O Lord, Thou are our Father, we are the clay, and Thou our potter: and we are the work of Thy hand.  I Chronicles 29:10 and Jeremiah 3:19 are just two to the many Old Testament verses that express the fact that God is our Father.
     The New Testament gives even fuller expression to the fact that God is Father.  In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus says that we are to address our prayers to "Our Father which art in Heaven."
     Let me just stop here for a moment and speak about the two ways in which God is Father.  First of all, God is Father because He is the one who created, and He is the one who sustains the universe.  In this sense, God is Father of the universe.  He is the one who oversees all that is.  He makes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.  Nothing in the universe would exist without the preserving power of God.
    There is another way in which God is Father, and that is much more personal.  God is the Father of those who believe in His only begotten Son the Lord Jesus Christ.  When we come to faith in Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit.  The Bible says it this way in Romans 8;15, "The Spirit that you received brought about your adoption to sonship, and by him we cry, Abba, Father."  Galatians 4:6 says it like this, "Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, the Spirit who calls out, Abba, Father."
     Because Jesus lives in our heart, His Father becomes our Father because we are adopted into the family of God.  I think that Hebrews 2:11 in the New Living Translation makes it very clear, "So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father.  That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters."  Those who have a personal relationship with Jesus have God as Father in a personal way.
     So, what does it mean that God is our Father.  It means several things.  To begin with, it means that we are part of the family of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.  Those who have a father receive an inheritance from the father.  There are benefits from being part of a family.
     Since God is our Father, we our identified as belonging to Him.  We have received an inheritance which is eternal life and an intimate relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
     Also, one of the aspects of being a good father is to provide for one's family.  God our Father has provided everything that pertains to life and Godliness.  Jesus said that our Father knows all that we need.  God our Father provides for us those things that are best for us.  Ultimately, the Father sent His Son into the world to provide salvation for all who would believe.
     Another responsibility of a Father is to keep His children safe.  The Father keeps us secure.  The Bible gives a great picture of how secure we are in John 10:28-29 where Jesus says, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand."  In other words, we are very secure for all eternity.  We are safe in the hands of Jesus, and the Father has His hands wrapped around Jesus' hands.  On top of all that, we are sealed by the Spirit unto the day of redemption.  When we realize this, we need not fear what any person can do to us.
     Father's love their children, and we are greatly loved by our Heavenly Father.  He has given us His Son, and He has given us the indwelling power of the Spirit.  He has made us part of His family.
     Father's also provide discipline and instruction.  This should not be seen in a negative way as if God is out to punish us for all that we do wrong.  God leads us along showing us by His tender mercies the way that we should follow.
     Once again, I have just been able to scratch the surface of who God is and what He has done and is doing.  I urge you to really study the doctrine of God.
     You can know God as your Heavenly Father.  The Father sent His Son the Lord Jesus into this world to die on the cross for our sins.  Through His death and resurrection, Jesus provides a way to the Father.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  All that come to the Father must come through Jesus.  Ask Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life today, and you will know what it truly is to say that God is your Father.
     Next week, we will finish the first section of the creed by reflecting on the fact that God the Father is creator of Heaven and Earth.  On Monday, we will have more verses to memorize.  I will have a review of a good book that I am currently reading on Wednesday.  May God bless you all.  Amen.
   
   

Book Review-- "Crenshaw"

     Today, I am reviewing a book for younger readers.  "Crenshaw" written by Katherine Applegate is the story of a young boy who has an imaginary cat who is quite large.  When the boy was young, he had this imaginary friend, but as the boy grew older, the cat became part of the past. Now, the boy and his family are facing homelessness, and Crenshaw the cat has reappeares to offer his advice about the situation.
     I am going to give a mixed review on this book.  First of all, this book was not as good as I hoped that it would be.  The writing seemed flat at times, and the cat wasn't as much a part of the book as I thought he would be.
     With that said, the book does deal with an important theme.  Homelessness is problem throughout society.  I know from firsthand experience that you can be going along thinking you have enough money, and then a financial problem hits and your wiped out.  I was not homeless, but it was a close run thing.  The family in this book have to live in their car for awhile.  It is hard to have a family and be reduced to these circumstances.
     "Crenshaw" deals with an important theme and is worth reading for that. However, I think that it could have been a lot better book.
   

Verses For the Week

Here are two new Bible memory verses to work on this week.

Psalm 8:9 -- "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth."

I John 1:9 -- " If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Weekend Sermon -- "Apostles' Creed" -- "I Believe in God"

     Welcome to this edition of the Weekend Sermon.  Thank you for reading the blog.  I pray that everyone is doing very well and that everyone has had a good week.
     This has been a good week for me.  I received a good performance review at work, and I was awarded a year end bonus.  I just want to thank the Lord for allowing me to have a job after being without for so long.  I actually got a lot of writing work done this week.  Please pray that I can continue with this.
     In prayer this week, please pray for an end to the terrorism that is becoming so prevalent in our world.  Also, let us continue to pray for peace.  Pray for peace in Syria, Israel, Iraq and Central African Republic.  Let us also pray for the message of Jesus to reach Indonesia, Maldives, Mongolia and Myanmar.
     In last week's message, we examined the first creed of the early church which was "Jesus is Lord."  This powerful statement means so much.  I pray that Jesus is the Lord of your life.
     Today, we are beginning a new series of messages on the Apostles' Creed.  In the next few weeks, I want to take the Creed phrase by phrase and examine what it means.  Although the Creed is short, it contains the essential elements of the Christian faith that we need to grasp and comprehend.
     First of all, what is the Apostles' Creed .  The Creed derives its name due to the fact that some believed that the 12 Apostles actually wrote the Creed.  There really isn't any historical evidence for this.  Instead, the Creed is really called the Apostles' Creed because it reflects the fundamental beliefs and the teachings of the Apostles,  It is a statement of the essential beliefs of the church.
     One thing that we should notice right away when when look at the Creed is its Trinitarian structure.  There are sections regarding the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
    Also, the Apostles' Creed is not the only important creed developed by the early church.  It is one of  the most basic.  Other important creeds that developed Christian belief were the Nicene Creed, the Chalcedonian Creed and the Athanasian Creed.
     The first phrase of the Apostles' Creed sets everything up.  It says, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth."  Let's just look at the first part of this, "I believe in God", today.
     Most people around the world believe in some sort of supreme being.  There is something within people that wants to reach out to something that is bigger than they are.  Here in my country, the United States, about 80 percent of the people claim to believe in God.  There is a growing number of atheists and agnostics here in the United States and in Europe.  I know that here in the United States, many atheists are becoming extremely hostile to any expression of faith, and there is a rapidly growing secularism in American culture.
     When a Christian says that they believe in God. what does that mean.  God has revealed Himself to posses certain attributes.  First a note about the language we use to speak about God.  Some want to use gender inclusive language when we speak about God.  I will always refer to God as He because that is the way that He reveals Himself in Scripture.  God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  If God revealed Himself as He, that is how I will refer to Him.  However, God is not a man.  God is Spirit, and those that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
     As I said, God has revealed Himself in Scripture as possessing certain attributes.  One of these attributes is Omnipotence.  This means that God is all powerful.  Psalm 8 is a great passage of Scripture that speaks of the might and power of God.  Various passages of Scripture refer to God as Almighty, and this too is reflected in the Creed.
     God is also Omnipresent.  This means that God is present everywhere.  A wonderful passage expressing this is found in Psalm 139:7-12 where the Psalmist writes that there is no place that he can go where God's presence is not found.
     God knows all things.  He is omniscient.  Jeremiah 1:5 is just one verse that speaks about how God knows all.  God tells Jeremiah that before the prophet was formed in the womb, God knew him.  Also, Romans 8:29 speaks of the omniscience of God.  God foreknew from eternity past everyone who would call upon the name of Jesus to receive salvation.
     One other important attribute of God is His immutability.  This means He does not change His essential character and nature.  In Malachi 3:6 God says, "I am the Lord, I change not."  Hebrews says about Jesus, who is God come in the flesh that, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."
     This just barely scratches the surface of who God is.  God is the awesome King of the universe.  May His name be forever honored and praised.
     There is one question that I would like to ask though.  Do we really believe in God?  I am not convinced that that many people really do believe in God.  I think that there are many practical atheists because many people live in such a way that they don't seem to believe that God really does exist.
     If we really believed that God sees and knows all, would we really live the way that we do thinking that there are no consequences for sin.  Maybe we think that God really doesn't see.
     Also, God is the Supreme Being.  He is the absolute lawgiver, and He has revealed Himself in His word and ultimately through the person and teachings of Jesus the Son.  However, very few even attempt to follow the life and teachings of Jesus.
     I think that the statement "I believe in God" is something that all of us really need to think about before we just say that we believe it.  We need to examine ourselves and see if we really do believe in God and if Jesus Christ really is our Lord.
     Next week, I want to look more deeply into the fact that God is Almighty and that He is the creator of Heaven and Earth.  The verses will be posted on Tuesday this week due to the Martin Luther King holiday here in the United States.  I hope to have a review on Wednesday.  May God bless you all.  Amen.

Review -- "Paddington"

     Today, I am not reviewing a book.  Instead, I would like to recommend a DVD I watched last week that I really enjoyed.  I'd never read any of the Paddington Bear books when I was a child.  I don't know why since they were available.  However, I saw the newer film about Paddington Bear in the library, so I decided to watch it last week on one of my days off.
     I really enjoyed this movie.  I thought the story was good and humorous.  This film makes good family viewing for all ages.   The two main human stars in this movie are Hugh Bonneville best known from his work on "Downton Abbey" and Nicole Kidman.  Bonneville is the father of the family who looks after Paddington in London after Paddington arrives from Peru.  Kidman plays the films villain who wants to add a talking bear to her collection in the natural history museum.
     I've heard that a sequel is planned to this film, so that is something to look forward to.

Verses For the Week

     I hope everyone was able to memorize the verses from last week.  Here are this week's verses.

Psalm 46:1 -- "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

James 1:27 -- "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:  to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."

Weekend Sermon -- "The First Creed"

     Welcome to this edition of the Weekend Sermon.  I hope and pray that all of you are having a wonderful start to the new year.
     I have taken a couple of days off from work at the beginning of the year.  I am feeling better, and I am hoping for a good 2016.
     As we go to prayer this week, please pray for those suffering as a result of the flooding in the United States and Great Britain.  Here in my country, many people have lost their homes as a result of the floods.  Let us also continue to pray for peace in the world.  Pray for peace in Libya, Syria and Iraq.
     Let us also continue to pray for the spread of the message of Jesus around the world.  This week, let us pray for the nations of Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Chad.
     As I mentioned last week, I have several series of messages that I plan to deliver here on the blog in 2016.  The first series of messages is going to be on the Apostle's Creed.  However, before we start that series, I want to bring a message today on what was the first creed of the early church.  It is a simple statement, but it has profound meaning.
    The first creed of the early church was a three word statement, "Jesus is Lord."  This three word statement of belief changed the world, and it still changes lives today.
     First of all, what does that title Lord mean?  One of the meanings of this title is ruler.  To be the lord over something means that you rule over it.  You have authority over it.  If you are the lord over something, it also means that you are the master over something.  You have the power over it.  To accept someone's lordship means to accept their leadership over your life.  They have your allegiance and obedience.
     Jesus said that He was the Lord.  In John 13:13, Jesus says, "You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am." The disciples also called Jesus Lord, and He never told them that He was not the Lord.
     After the Apostles were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, Peter rose up to speak to the people that had gathered.  In Acts 2:36 Peter proclaimed Jesus' Lordship by saying, "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this; God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah."  The Apostle's proclaimed Jesus as Lord of all.
     Now what does it mean when we say "Jesus is Lord."  It means two things at least.  On the personal level when we declare that Jesus is Lord, we are saying that our allegiance now belongs to Jesus Christ.  We have pledged our faith and our obedience to Jesus.
     Before we came to faith in Jesus, our loyalty was to another leader.  We were all part of the kingdom of darkness.  We followed the the prince of this world the father of lies.
    However, when the Holy Spirit convicted us of sin, we realized who Jesus is and what He had come to do for us.  We repented of our sins and turned to Jesus in repentance and faith.  We believed in the power of His death and resurrection to transform our lives.  We turned from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of His glorious life and light.
     Coming to Jesus is not just accepting Him as Savior.  When we come to Jesus, we must accept Him as the Lord of our lives as well.  We must accept Him as our Sovereign.  We must be willing to obey Him and follow in the way that He leads.  We are no longer our own.  We belong to Christ.
     Now the question on a personal level is this, is the statement "Jesus is Lord" just an empty statement, or does it really mean something in your life?  Jesus said that there would be many people at the last judgment who would say to Him "Lord, Lord".  However, Jesus will say to them, "Depart from me, I never knew you."
     The fact of Jesus as Lord of our lives is evidenced by our willingness to follow Jesus.  As Jesus says in Luke 6:46, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, but you don't do the things that I say?"  Having Jesus as Lord means acknowledging Him and turning from all others.  This was something that had profound meaning for those in the early church.
     In the early days of the church, the Roman emperors thought that they were gods.  They demanded that people say "Caesar is Lord."  This is something that true Christians could not and would not say. Christians will only acknowledge that Jesus is Lord.  Because of their refusal to acknowledge Caesar as opposed to Jesus as Lord, thousands of early Christians were killed for their confession of Jesus Christ.
     On a personal level, when we say that "Jesus is Lord", we are saying that we pledge our allegiance to Jesus Christ above anything and everyone else.  We will follow Jesus even if it means that we must go against our nation and our friends.  It may cost us our very lives to acknowledge only Jesus as Lord.
     Now, the statement "Jesus is Lord" also has a meaning on a cosmic level.  Because Jesus accomplished all that the Father gave Him to do, Jesus has been exalted to the Father's right hand.  Philippians 2:9 says that Jesus has been given the name that is above every name.  This name is the name Lord.  Jesus is Lord of all the universe right now whether people acknowledge Him as their Lord or not.
     Revelation chapters 4 and 5 show the glory and honor and power that rightfully belongs to Jesus who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
     One day, when Jesus comes again in power and great glory, something marvelous will happen.  Philippians 2:10-11 describes it this way, "At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
    At some time, every one will bow the knee to Jesus and proclaim Him as Lord.  Jesus will rule and reign in righteousness forever and forever.  That will truly be a wonderful day.
     "Jesus is Lord."  What a powerful statement.  I hope that you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life.  If not, please do so today.  Maybe you are a Christian, but you have slipped away from what you know Jesus would really want you to do.  Turn back to Him, and let Him lead you today.
     On Monday, we will continue with our Bible memorization project.  I will post a review on Wednesday, and we will begin our series in the Apostle's Creed in the next Weekend Sermon.  May God bless you all.  Amen.

Book Review -- "Poirot and Me"

     One of my favorite mystery television programs was Poirot which aired on PBS here in the United States.  David Suchet is a great actor, and he has provided the best portrayal of Agatha Christie's detective that has ever been done.
     In "Poirot and Me", David Suchet goes into great detail about his time playing the role of the Belgian detective.  Suchet gives insight on how he was first chosen for the role, and he relates how the episodes were produced.
    What I found most interesting in the book was Suchet's description of the way that he prepared for the role.  He read all of Agatha Christie's Poirot books and stories.  He then prepared a list of all of the important characteristics of Poirot that he wanted to bring out in the episodes.  Suchet demonstrates how a serious actor prepares and takes his work to heart.
     One thing that I would have like to have read more of in the book is about the relationship between Mr. Suchet and the other actors who were regulars in the earlier episodes.  We are given some information, but I was left wanting more.  I thought that Hugh Fraser did an excellent job as Hastings, and I would have liked to have read more about him.
     I enjoyed reading "Poirot and Me" very much.  If you have never watched any of the Poirot films with David Suchet, I urge you to watch them.  There are 13 seasons of episodes.  Suchet filmed every Poirot book and story penned by Agatha Christie.

Verses For the Week

Today, we are going to start on a year long effort to memorize 100 verses from the Bible.  We will work on two verses per week.  Some of the verses will be very familiar. You may already have them memorized.  If so, it will be a good refresher.  For our memory purposes, I am going to use the New King James Version of the Bible which is my favorite.

Genesis 1:1 -- "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

John 1:1 -- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."