Lent word written in ash, dust as fast and abstinence period concept. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. - Galatians 2:20 As I sit here typing, writing of repentance and penance is totally hypocritical. My head may explode after almost an hour on the phone with the insurance company. The only thing worse

Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:3-5 The history of the American Thanksgiving holiday is interesting, based on the true story of a meal shared with Native Americans who helped t

Intersection infinity sign traffic road with car and green park pond aerial view I will lift my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. Psalms 121:1-2 What do you think about when you’re sitting stuck in traffic? I have a selection of topics for thought when bored in slow or stopped traffic, and it probably comes as no surprise that some of them are not printable for sharing, such as my observations on peo

The inscription “I WANT, YOU WANT, THEY WANT” on the puzzle in the shape of a circle. The concept of meet the needs. 3D Illustration. Isolated Trust in the Lord and do good: dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wai

Man walking towards the light from darkness “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me.” “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. – John 18:37-38a Because raising the issue last week of what it means to be human wasn’t difficult enough, I thought I’d turn to the elusive territory of truth this week. Truth has fallen out o

– Genesis 2:7 I am the first to admit my mind wanders all over the place, from the nonsensical to the profound and everywhere in between. Sometimes, the subjects are interesting to others, but frankly, most of the time, I suspect the things about which I think are not of particular interest to anyone else at all. I find myself in that peculiar position again – a topic of enormous interest to me that may be of none to you. And yet, I believe this is perhaps one of the most imp

After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. Matthew 17.1-2 from “Scripture in light of First Century History” at http://newjerusalemcommunity.blogspot.com/2012/04/moses-and-elijah-were-consider-to-be.html In the course of daily life, “Bob” is absolutely one of my favorite people to m

Then God said,  “Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in His own Image, in the Image of God He created him; male and female He created them.                                       Genesis 1.26-27 July 4 is actually a celebration of independence, specifically the birth of a new nation in

God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day. Genesis 1.31 There was not an overall plan. It just sort of unfolded this way. When my teenage grandson visits, food is a much higher priority than when he is not here. First, we went to the farmers market where we found all sorts of fresh vegetables and wonderful fresh fruit – seven-and-a-half pounds of fruit, to be exact, not including the watermelon. There also

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2

Editor’s Note: We are transitioning the Servants’ Feast web site and some related items like these e-mail meditations. As a result there may be some glitches or unexpected events. We appreciate your patience with these issues and any publication delays they may cause. —————————————————————————– Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one

Christmas December 24, 2007 The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2.10-11 The 2006 movie, The Nativity, was a movie about the events leading up to and the birth of Jesus. One particular scene stuck in my mind. The scene was profound mostly for what it revealed about the way in which Christians have come to interpret

Fourth Week of Advent December 17, 2007 Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what is co

Third Week of Advent December 10, 2007 And Mary said, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is His name.” – Luke 1.46-49 The Magnificat of Mary is one of the most beautiful songs of Scripture, a hymn of praise and adoration virtually unrivaled in its expression of raw faith and confi

Second Week of Advent December 3, 2007 ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’ Matthew 3.3b John the Baptist was a strange bird, wandering around in camel’s hair, eating locusts and wild honey. Just a guess, but he probably did not get a lot of party invitations during the holidays. If he were alive now, as opposed to beheaded by Herod way back when, John the Baptist would be wandering through every large retailer in the U.S. today trying to find a place

August 27, 2007 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” John 13.34-35 There are so many different possibilities for being a disciple of Jesus Christ. One could be a committed member of a church, even a tithing member. One could be a missionary traveling to distant lands – or maybe downtown – to help people in Jesus’ name. There is always the p

August 20, 2007 “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they wer

August 13, 2007 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3.6-8 The other day, I watched a documentary about hurricanes. Living near the coast, hurricanes are always of interest. Speculating on the origins of hurricanes,

August 6, 2007 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6.19-21 Through last week, horrible images and terrifying stories came to us from Minneapolis following the collapse of a major bridge during rush h

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10.29-31 Following a discussion the other day, a gentleman approached me and told me that he does not believe God controls things or predestines people or outcomes. He meant about the same thing as does a woman I know who assures me with a