The winter storm this weekend was really bad. We had a lot of tree damage and heavy, heavy snow. Please continue to pray that the situation will improve. Many are without power. Please pray for them. Thank you for your prayers.
Verses:
Colossians 3:14 -- "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
John 15:12 -- "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."
Monday, January 14, 2019
Friday, January 11, 2019
Weekend Sermon -- Luke 8:19-21
Thank you for taking the time to read the Weekend Sermon this week. I am thankful that the snow hasn't started falling, so I was able to get to the library and post the message. As always, I thank the Lord for the opportunity to post these messages. I hope that all of you are having a good day.
Yesterday, I posted a couple of prayer requests. My hands are not as painful today as they were yesterday. Please continue to pray about this situation. Also, please pray that the winter storm that is expected in my area won't be too bad. I want to be able to get to work tomorrow. Please pray that the snow won't be so heavy that it harms my old house. I worry about that as the house is so old and not in the greatest shape.
Sunday is an important day for me. It is the date that my friend Toby came to live with me so many years ago. I just wanted to say thank you to the Lord for the wonderful blessing that he gave me.
We all need to continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Syria. Someone who I follow online has an animal shelter in Syria. Their shelter was hit by some type of armaments last week. The war is still going on in Syria, so we must continue to pray for peace. Also remember to pray for peace in Yemen where war has brought disease and famine.
Each week, I post two countries to pray for as our prayer focus countries of the week. The countries that I choose are nations that officially have fewer than 50 percent of the population that identify as Christians. For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those who live in Western Sahara and Saudi Arabia. Pray that many will hear about the love of Jesus.
Last week, we began a series of messages looking at some of the events in the life and ministry of Jesus that we haven't covered on the blog. At least we didn't cover them so far as I remember. Today, I want us to focus our attention on the account found in Luke 8:19-21.
In this passage of Scripture, we see that Jesus has been actively teaching and performing miracles. Everywhere that Jesus goes, the people are following Him. They want to hear the words that He has to say, and they want to be healed of their diseases and afflictions.
One day, Jesus' mother and His brothers come to see Him. Someone tells Jesus that His mother and brothers are outside wanting to speak with Him. Jesus then says, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."
Mark 3:20-21 tells us that some in Jesus' family thought that He was out of His mind. We know from John 7:5 that Jesus' own brothers did not believe in Him at one point.
In this passage, Jesus is making an important spiritual point. He is saying that whoever comes to Him and does what is taught in the word of God is His true family. Romans 8:16-17 says it like this, "The Spirit himself testifies with our Spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs -- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Jesus is telling people that they can be part of God's family. Those who have God as their Father are joint heirs with Jesus. Those who believe in the redeeming work of Jesus on the cross and in His resurrection are children of the Most High God. Those who believe are granted forgiveness of sins and eternal life with the Lord Jesus forever.
To me, this is a glorious thing to contemplate. Someone like me who is just an average person is loved by the God who made the universe. This God sent His Son to this earth so that I might be redeemed. God loves me and wants me to be part of His family.
All who are willing to put their faith and trust in Jesus can be children of the Heavenly Father. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. In Revelation 7:9 we see a vision of the redeemed around the throne of God. The writer of Revelation says that those who are redeemed come from every nation and and tribe. All kinds of people with all different languages are worshipping the Lord. God's family includes people of every race and every ethnic group. We are all one in Him.
I hope that you have turned to Jesus. You can trust in Him today and become part of God's great family who worships Him around the world.
Next week, I will be posting the sermon on Saturday due to my work schedule. On Monday, I will post the verses for the week. The book review will be on Thursday this week due to my work schedule. May God bless you all. Amen.
Yesterday, I posted a couple of prayer requests. My hands are not as painful today as they were yesterday. Please continue to pray about this situation. Also, please pray that the winter storm that is expected in my area won't be too bad. I want to be able to get to work tomorrow. Please pray that the snow won't be so heavy that it harms my old house. I worry about that as the house is so old and not in the greatest shape.
Sunday is an important day for me. It is the date that my friend Toby came to live with me so many years ago. I just wanted to say thank you to the Lord for the wonderful blessing that he gave me.
We all need to continue to pray for peace in the troubled areas of this world. Pray for peace in Syria. Someone who I follow online has an animal shelter in Syria. Their shelter was hit by some type of armaments last week. The war is still going on in Syria, so we must continue to pray for peace. Also remember to pray for peace in Yemen where war has brought disease and famine.
Each week, I post two countries to pray for as our prayer focus countries of the week. The countries that I choose are nations that officially have fewer than 50 percent of the population that identify as Christians. For our prayer focus countries this week, let us pray for those who live in Western Sahara and Saudi Arabia. Pray that many will hear about the love of Jesus.
Last week, we began a series of messages looking at some of the events in the life and ministry of Jesus that we haven't covered on the blog. At least we didn't cover them so far as I remember. Today, I want us to focus our attention on the account found in Luke 8:19-21.
In this passage of Scripture, we see that Jesus has been actively teaching and performing miracles. Everywhere that Jesus goes, the people are following Him. They want to hear the words that He has to say, and they want to be healed of their diseases and afflictions.
One day, Jesus' mother and His brothers come to see Him. Someone tells Jesus that His mother and brothers are outside wanting to speak with Him. Jesus then says, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."
Mark 3:20-21 tells us that some in Jesus' family thought that He was out of His mind. We know from John 7:5 that Jesus' own brothers did not believe in Him at one point.
In this passage, Jesus is making an important spiritual point. He is saying that whoever comes to Him and does what is taught in the word of God is His true family. Romans 8:16-17 says it like this, "The Spirit himself testifies with our Spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs -- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Jesus is telling people that they can be part of God's family. Those who have God as their Father are joint heirs with Jesus. Those who believe in the redeeming work of Jesus on the cross and in His resurrection are children of the Most High God. Those who believe are granted forgiveness of sins and eternal life with the Lord Jesus forever.
To me, this is a glorious thing to contemplate. Someone like me who is just an average person is loved by the God who made the universe. This God sent His Son to this earth so that I might be redeemed. God loves me and wants me to be part of His family.
All who are willing to put their faith and trust in Jesus can be children of the Heavenly Father. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. In Revelation 7:9 we see a vision of the redeemed around the throne of God. The writer of Revelation says that those who are redeemed come from every nation and and tribe. All kinds of people with all different languages are worshipping the Lord. God's family includes people of every race and every ethnic group. We are all one in Him.
I hope that you have turned to Jesus. You can trust in Him today and become part of God's great family who worships Him around the world.
Next week, I will be posting the sermon on Saturday due to my work schedule. On Monday, I will post the verses for the week. The book review will be on Thursday this week due to my work schedule. May God bless you all. Amen.
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Prayer Requests
I have two prayer requests. Please pray that my hands will stop hurting so bad. I am developing arthritis in my hands, and they are really hurting. Also, the weather people are expecting a big snow storm in my area for tomorrow night into Saturday. Please pray that it won't be bad.
I will try my best to post the sermon tomorrow. I have to work in the morning at my job. If it is not snowing when I am finished, I will go to the library and post the sermon. Thank you for your prayers.
I will try my best to post the sermon tomorrow. I have to work in the morning at my job. If it is not snowing when I am finished, I will go to the library and post the sermon. Thank you for your prayers.
Wednesday, January 9, 2019
Book Review
The book that I am reviewing today is "Voyage of the Dogs" written by Greg van Eekhout. This book is intended for children in grades three through seven. However, as those of you who read the blog know, I like to read all dog and cat books.
"Voyage of the Dogs" tells the story of a spaceship named Laika and its crew. When the book begins, a crew of humans and dogs are travelling from earth to a new world. The dogs are placed in sleep chambers and will awaken when the ship gets closer to its destination.
Something goes wrong on the journey. The dogs awaken to find that the ship is damaged and the human crew is nowhere to be found. It is up to them to get the ship to the new colony safely.
There are four dogs on the Laika. Lopside is a dog with one ear the flops over. Bug is a corgi. Daisy is a Great Dane and Champion is a golden retriever. She is the commander of the dogs. All of the dog crew must work together to overcome many obstacles.
I really enjoyed reading this work. There was a corgi in the book, so that was a big plus as they are my favorite dogs.
I believe that children will especially love this book. There is a lot of action, and the book moves along well and is well written. The characters are all interesting. You can tell that the author is a dog lover because he really captures the distinct essence of each of the canine characters taking into consideration their breed qualities.
I recommend this book. Dog lovers of all ages will like it.
"Voyage of the Dogs" tells the story of a spaceship named Laika and its crew. When the book begins, a crew of humans and dogs are travelling from earth to a new world. The dogs are placed in sleep chambers and will awaken when the ship gets closer to its destination.
Something goes wrong on the journey. The dogs awaken to find that the ship is damaged and the human crew is nowhere to be found. It is up to them to get the ship to the new colony safely.
There are four dogs on the Laika. Lopside is a dog with one ear the flops over. Bug is a corgi. Daisy is a Great Dane and Champion is a golden retriever. She is the commander of the dogs. All of the dog crew must work together to overcome many obstacles.
I really enjoyed reading this work. There was a corgi in the book, so that was a big plus as they are my favorite dogs.
I believe that children will especially love this book. There is a lot of action, and the book moves along well and is well written. The characters are all interesting. You can tell that the author is a dog lover because he really captures the distinct essence of each of the canine characters taking into consideration their breed qualities.
I recommend this book. Dog lovers of all ages will like it.
Monday, January 7, 2019
Verses For The Week
Psalm 112:6 -- "Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever."
James 3:18 -- "Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."
James 3:18 -- "Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."
Friday, January 4, 2019
Weekend Sermon -- Luke 5:1-11
Welcome to this week's posting of the sermon. I hope that everyone is having a good start to 2019. As always, I am thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to post this sermon.
This week has been going fairly well. I had to get my car repaired, but it wasn't expensive, so I thank the Lord for that. I am still working at my job, and I am writing. There has been a lot of writing work over the holiday season.
As you pray this week, please remember those in Indonesia who are recovering from the effects of the tsunami. Also, pray for those in the Philippines who were affected by the mudslides.
Please pray for those in the Congo who are dealing with the Ebola outbreak. Pray that those who are sick will recover, and pray for those who are working to help those with the disease.
Continue to pray for peace in the world. There is still fighting in Syria, and that country needs our prayers for peace. Remember to pray for peace in Afghanistan, Yemen and Libya as well.
For our prayer focus countries this week, please pray for those in Suriname and Myanmar. Pray that many will come to know the love of Jesus.
I would ask that you pray for me about a matter. I have started to develop arthritis in my hands. Please pray that I can get relief from the pain that I am experiencing. Thank you.
This week, we are going to begin with a series of messages about Jesus. Over the course of the last few years here on the blog, we've studied the miracles of Jesus, the parables of Jesus and the "I Am" sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of John. We have also gone through the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus' teachings on prayer.
There is so much more in the Gospels that Jesus did and said. For the next few weeks, I want to post some messages about the ministry of Jesus and see what we can learn from the life and ministry of Jesus.
Today, I would like us to focus our attention on Luke 5:1-11. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus is just beginning His public ministry. At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus focused His teaching and ministry in the towns that surrounded the Sea of Galilee. The people were amazed at Jesus' teachings and His miracles. Jesus was beginning to attract large crowds that wanted to hear what He had to say.
One day, Jesus was preaching along the shore. There were many people crowding around Him, so Jesus asked a man named Simon if he could get in his boat and go a little off shore to preach to the crowd. Simon let Jesus come into his boat, and Jesus sat down and taught the people.
When Jesus had finished His teaching, He told Simon to go out into the deep water and let down his nets. Simon told Jesus that he and his partners had toiled all night and caught nothing. However, Simon said that he would do it because Jesus had asked him to.
When Simon let down the nets, he caught so many fish that he couldn't get them all in the boat. He had to call for his fishing partners James and John to come and help him. Together, the three fisherman and Jesus brought the fish to shore.
Upon reaching the shore, Simon Peter fell at Jesus' feet and said, "Go away from me, Lord; for I am a sinful man."
Jesus said, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people."
Simon Peter, James and John then left their nets, and they followed Jesus.
What can we learn from this story? What does it have to teach us?
There are three things that I want to point out from this passage of Scripture. First of all, I want us to see the obedience of Simon. He was an experienced fisherman. He had fished all night, and I'm sure that he was convinced that the fish just weren't going to be caught that day. However, because Jesus asked him to go out and let down his nets, Simon did it.
There may be times in life when we feel like the Lord Jesus is directing us to do something that we don't necessarily feel like doing. We may feel like Jesus is calling us to be a witness to someone who has rejected the message of Jesus many times over. We don't want to go and share about Jesus and be rejected again.
At times like this, we need to take Simon as our example. He followed what Jesus said in spite of his own feelings. He was ready to do it just because Jesus said so.
When we ask Jesus to be the Lord of our lives, that means that we are saying to Him that we are willing to do whatever it is that He asks of us. It may not be what we would do on our own, but we must be willing to do what the Lord asks because we want to be faithful to Him.
The second point that I want us to see from this passage is that Simon, James and John were so committed to following Jesus that they were willing to leave everything behind in order to follow Him.
Often, being committed to Jesus will lead us to have to leave behind things that are in our past. We have to be willing to do this in order to please the Lord. An example of this is my Dad. Before He became a Christian, he used to drink heavily. When he gave his heart to the Lord Jesus, my Dad decided to give up drinking and going to bars and nightclubs. He had two good friends who kept tempting him to drink and go out on the town. My Dad finally had to make the decision to not associate with his two friends as long as they were going to try to tempt him into going back to his old lifestyle. He didn't want to do that, but more than anything else, he was committed to honoring Jesus in his life. He believed that he was a new creation in Christ, and my Dad wanted to follow the Lord.
The most important thing in our life should be to follow and honor Jesus. We must be willing to leave all the sin that so easily besets us for the sake of following Him and honoring Him.
The final thing that I would like to point out in this passage is that Jesus told Simon that he would be fishing for people. Later, the Lord Jesus would give the Great Commission to all of us telling us to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.
We have the duty to fish for people. This means that we are to tell people about the love and grace of Jesus. We are to tell others that Jesus has come. They can have new life in Jesus Christ.
I hope that in this new year, each of us can take up the challenge to share the love of Jesus with those that we know. Let us tell others about how Jesus has changed our lives.
Next week, I will post another message about the Lord Jesus. On Monday, I will post the verses. I will have a review of a dog book on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
This week has been going fairly well. I had to get my car repaired, but it wasn't expensive, so I thank the Lord for that. I am still working at my job, and I am writing. There has been a lot of writing work over the holiday season.
As you pray this week, please remember those in Indonesia who are recovering from the effects of the tsunami. Also, pray for those in the Philippines who were affected by the mudslides.
Please pray for those in the Congo who are dealing with the Ebola outbreak. Pray that those who are sick will recover, and pray for those who are working to help those with the disease.
Continue to pray for peace in the world. There is still fighting in Syria, and that country needs our prayers for peace. Remember to pray for peace in Afghanistan, Yemen and Libya as well.
For our prayer focus countries this week, please pray for those in Suriname and Myanmar. Pray that many will come to know the love of Jesus.
I would ask that you pray for me about a matter. I have started to develop arthritis in my hands. Please pray that I can get relief from the pain that I am experiencing. Thank you.
This week, we are going to begin with a series of messages about Jesus. Over the course of the last few years here on the blog, we've studied the miracles of Jesus, the parables of Jesus and the "I Am" sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of John. We have also gone through the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus' teachings on prayer.
There is so much more in the Gospels that Jesus did and said. For the next few weeks, I want to post some messages about the ministry of Jesus and see what we can learn from the life and ministry of Jesus.
Today, I would like us to focus our attention on Luke 5:1-11. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus is just beginning His public ministry. At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus focused His teaching and ministry in the towns that surrounded the Sea of Galilee. The people were amazed at Jesus' teachings and His miracles. Jesus was beginning to attract large crowds that wanted to hear what He had to say.
One day, Jesus was preaching along the shore. There were many people crowding around Him, so Jesus asked a man named Simon if he could get in his boat and go a little off shore to preach to the crowd. Simon let Jesus come into his boat, and Jesus sat down and taught the people.
When Jesus had finished His teaching, He told Simon to go out into the deep water and let down his nets. Simon told Jesus that he and his partners had toiled all night and caught nothing. However, Simon said that he would do it because Jesus had asked him to.
When Simon let down the nets, he caught so many fish that he couldn't get them all in the boat. He had to call for his fishing partners James and John to come and help him. Together, the three fisherman and Jesus brought the fish to shore.
Upon reaching the shore, Simon Peter fell at Jesus' feet and said, "Go away from me, Lord; for I am a sinful man."
Jesus said, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people."
Simon Peter, James and John then left their nets, and they followed Jesus.
What can we learn from this story? What does it have to teach us?
There are three things that I want to point out from this passage of Scripture. First of all, I want us to see the obedience of Simon. He was an experienced fisherman. He had fished all night, and I'm sure that he was convinced that the fish just weren't going to be caught that day. However, because Jesus asked him to go out and let down his nets, Simon did it.
There may be times in life when we feel like the Lord Jesus is directing us to do something that we don't necessarily feel like doing. We may feel like Jesus is calling us to be a witness to someone who has rejected the message of Jesus many times over. We don't want to go and share about Jesus and be rejected again.
At times like this, we need to take Simon as our example. He followed what Jesus said in spite of his own feelings. He was ready to do it just because Jesus said so.
When we ask Jesus to be the Lord of our lives, that means that we are saying to Him that we are willing to do whatever it is that He asks of us. It may not be what we would do on our own, but we must be willing to do what the Lord asks because we want to be faithful to Him.
The second point that I want us to see from this passage is that Simon, James and John were so committed to following Jesus that they were willing to leave everything behind in order to follow Him.
Often, being committed to Jesus will lead us to have to leave behind things that are in our past. We have to be willing to do this in order to please the Lord. An example of this is my Dad. Before He became a Christian, he used to drink heavily. When he gave his heart to the Lord Jesus, my Dad decided to give up drinking and going to bars and nightclubs. He had two good friends who kept tempting him to drink and go out on the town. My Dad finally had to make the decision to not associate with his two friends as long as they were going to try to tempt him into going back to his old lifestyle. He didn't want to do that, but more than anything else, he was committed to honoring Jesus in his life. He believed that he was a new creation in Christ, and my Dad wanted to follow the Lord.
The most important thing in our life should be to follow and honor Jesus. We must be willing to leave all the sin that so easily besets us for the sake of following Him and honoring Him.
The final thing that I would like to point out in this passage is that Jesus told Simon that he would be fishing for people. Later, the Lord Jesus would give the Great Commission to all of us telling us to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.
We have the duty to fish for people. This means that we are to tell people about the love and grace of Jesus. We are to tell others that Jesus has come. They can have new life in Jesus Christ.
I hope that in this new year, each of us can take up the challenge to share the love of Jesus with those that we know. Let us tell others about how Jesus has changed our lives.
Next week, I will post another message about the Lord Jesus. On Monday, I will post the verses. I will have a review of a dog book on Wednesday. May God bless you all. Amen.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Cat Book of the Year
Last week, I announced my Dog Book of the Year Award. Today, I am announcing my Cat Book of the Year Award. This year, I read some really good cat books. One of the cat books stands out above the others.
The winner of my Cat Book of the Year Award is "The Travelling Cat Chronicles." I reviewed this book a couple of weeks ago here on the blog, so I won't go into what it is all about. I really liked this book, and I believe that you will too if you read it.
I am looking forward to more dog and cat book reviews in the year ahead. I hope that everyone has a great 2019. Thank you for reading the blog.
The winner of my Cat Book of the Year Award is "The Travelling Cat Chronicles." I reviewed this book a couple of weeks ago here on the blog, so I won't go into what it is all about. I really liked this book, and I believe that you will too if you read it.
I am looking forward to more dog and cat book reviews in the year ahead. I hope that everyone has a great 2019. Thank you for reading the blog.
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