Repent and Be Fruitful!

Luke 13: 1 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." 6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the gardener, "See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 8 He replied, "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.' " (NRSV)

Our Lenten Journey started in a somber way. "You are dust and to dust you shall return," was said on Ash Wednesday. We were even told to focus on our mortality. For some this is not an easy topic. After all, we're all going to live here forever, or so we wish. On this day, Jesus is reminded by some present with Him about a terrible event in their history, that some Galileans, obviously not as righteous as those bringing it up to Jesus, or so they hoped, had been murdered by Pilate possibly in the same area as where blood sacrifices were offered to God. Surely to die in such a way implied they were bad and deserved it. Jesus replied, "Do you think that because they died in this way they were worse than all Galileans? He answers His own question by saying, "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did." Gulp. Wait. Perish? Me? "Focus on my mortality?" "I really AM dust and to dust I shall return?" The emphasis was on repentance.

Jesus continued with more news about death; eighteen in Jerusalem died when a huge tower fell on them, were they worse than all who live in Jerusalem? Jesus then repeats with the answer and the warning; "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did." There's that emphasis again, the way out, if you please, from this perishing business. Repentance. The turning away from our sin with a truly convicted and hurting heart about the sin we have committed, and turning toward God, the only One who can forgive our sins. A change of heart as the sheep in Angusday's comic above. Lent is about turning away from sin and turning to God. You gave up something and replaced it with a spiritual practice of some sort in order to focus on God and God's love and grace. Is that enough?

The lesson continues about fruitfulness. A fruit tree serves its purpose better when it produces fruit and not just shade. And in Jesus' time a fig tree was just the thing to provide delicious and nourishing figs. A sad image from the movie "Zero Dark Thirty" shows a very hungry Middle Eastern man after torture being offered something to drink and a small bag of something to eat that contained figs. The way that man ate the figs showed how special they are even today as a source of food. And a fig tree that produces nothing but dead leaves or shade serves no purpose. Jesus' implication is the same about believers who never produce fruit in their faith. It is Jesus saying what good does it do to repent, receive God's mercy, and then do nothing about it? Tell somebody! Share with somebody that news that the sentence of death has been lifted from your life and you're free to live! That too, is part of this Lenten Journey.

PRAYER: Loving God, for the sentence of death removed from me, I am grateful. I am thankful also for the gift of being able to turn to You and receive from You that which allows me to be blessed with new life. May the fruit of my repentance be that which grows the Kingdom. This I ask in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

How's Your "Giving Up?"

1 Corinthians 10:1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. 6 Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play." 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10 And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. (New Revised Standard Version)

"Is it still Lent, Emmie?" asked the granddaughter of my administrative assistant. "Yes," was the reply. "Oh good, because I gave up broccoli, and I don't like broccoli." What followed was a lesson on Lent and how when we fast we should give up something we like not something we don't like. Our Lenten journey should be like the formative one taken by the people of God as they made their forty year trek from Egypt to the Promised Land. It took forty years to mold them into a new people and today's text is a reminder that they, like us, didn't always want to be a part of something that might mean change. And forty years in a physically and spiritually challenging mode made their lives difficult. Paul sees the blessings; walking with Moses in the cloud and passing through the Red Sea was seen as a baptism. The food provided by God was to eat "the same spiritual food," and to drink "the same spiritual water." And the "rock" in the Exodus story, Paul sees as Jesus, Who was present even then in a spiritual sense. Yet, even with this baptism and communion of sorts, it did no permanent good in their relationship with God. Some even wandered farther away from God and the story records that 23,000 died in a single day because of their disobedience. Paul then turned to the spiritual temptations of the Corinthians' day and warns against wandering away from God.

How's your "giving up?" Is it serving the purpose for which you gave it up? Are you deepening your walk with God? Or have you found that your mind and body is taking you away from God? Any attempt to better or strengthen our walk with God will meet with the resistance and temptation from the Tempter to deviate us off-course. Lent seeks to provide the opposite. Paul writes, "if you think you are standing" meaning being strong during this time, "watch out that you do not fall." We all go through the same temptations and trials. Rely on God and God will provide exactly what we need during this time. Ours is to endure faithful to the end.

PRAYER: Lord, make me stronger. Speak to my weaknesses and made me stronger. Speak to my strengths and do not let me be comfortable. I see the path and I hold Your hand; let me not deviate from it. This I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Perspective and Provision

Isaiah 55:1 Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. 6 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (New Revised Standard Version)

The perspectives on life that my grandkids share with me are wonderful. All of my four are at that stage where they teach by learning. Our oldest, Saraí Evangelina Cortez, turned six this past Sunday and her wish was to come to Corpus Christi for her birthday. She had it all planned out. She knows there is very little we will say no to or not buy for her. A preview of what was to come came on a quick trip through San Marcos where we said we were buying her a gift for getting all 100s on her report card. We called her Mom and told her we would be stopping at the Wal-Mart near their house and lo and behold, who should show up but little Saraí and her mom? She grabbed Grandma's hand and they ran, yes, ran, from where we were standing to the toy department. She made her selection and ran with grandma to the dress department. Not a bad score for what was supposed to be a fifteen minute stop and drop-off. Oh, and before we left, she made sure that Grandpa saw which of the five Skylander (I don't know what they are either!) figures she did not have. I took a picture of them with my phone to "remember." They arrived here on Friday and she made sure to let her cousins know that Saturday morning was just for her and Grandpa and Grandma. She was probably the first one up and rushed us to dress. She did not like that the mall did not open until 10, but at exactly 10:01 we were in Build-A-Bear buying her "I made all 100s again on my report card!" gift. Our other grandson is fascinated by the appearance of carnival rides. I suppose all kids are as are some adults. The idea of something that can spin or whirl him around is a neat one, as is the idea that cotton candy and corn dogs are just there for the taking. That is perspective and provision.

Isaiah shares God's perspective with us in this awesome passage. If you're thirsty, and this is part of this week's theme, come and drink! If you're hungry, come and eat, money is not necessary! Why waste your hard-earned money for those things that do not satisfy? You worked hard and for what? Things that break down and rust eventually? Seek to eat that which is good for you and which will bring life to you, is what God is saying in these verses. I will enter into a holy contract with you that will be everlasting and non-breaking, an indication of my love for David. You will be a witness to all nations, but it begins first with knowing Me, God says. Thus the verse in the photograph, "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near." All who are doing evil and straying off the path, return to God. Thinking evil thoughts, do away with them and come back to God! God will give you mercy and pardon. That is provision.

The perspective? We don't always think God thoughts. Nor do we follow God's ways. God knows this and so should we. Just look up later today and see how high up the sky is from us, that is just higher up are God's ways and God's thoughts than ours. But, it doesn't have to end there. We can seek a deeper relationship with God and make God's thoughts ours and God's ways ours. Can you begin to imagine how awesome that is?

PRAYER: Thank You, dear God, for always sharing an invitation back to You. You know us all too well. You know our thoughts stray first, then our feet, then our hands, and before You know, though You do know it all too well, we are lost. Do not let that happen today. Help us to seek Your thoughts and Your ways. We need Your perspective on life so that Your provision can be ours. This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Thought for the Day

What I need most today is to think and act as God would have me think and act.

Stay in Love with God

Psalm 63:1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. 4So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name. 5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips 6 when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (NRSV)

Yesterday's front page story in our local paper told how a county south of us has now become the number one place of undocumented migrant deaths, most of them due to thirst and starvation. What does not help is that we are still suffering from a severe drought. Areas where creeks and lakes used to have water are now dust remnants of them. There is nothing worse than to suffer thirst and not have any water with which to quench it. To have that same sort of thirst for God is just as bad if we cannot find God; yet all it takes is to find God and that thirst is quenched. During those days when we found ourselves alienated from God and had a thirsting to find God's love, to find God is to find that quenching that satisfies. Once found, we should stay in love with God. For those who are familiar with John Wesley's Three Simple Rules, this is the third one. The first is to do no harm. The second is to do good. To stay in love with God is to receive love that cannot stay within us, it must be shared and lived out.

The psalmist knew that love. He also knew alienation from God caused by bad decisions to be as bad as a non-satifisfied thirst; he knew God was God, even his, but could not be found during this time away from God. He knew thirst in the soul and even thirst in the body that caused him to be faint. His quest for God led him to the sanctuary where he was able to see God's power and glory and realized the awesomeness of God's love, and all he can do is to sing a song of praise. Knowing and receiving God's love it to receive satisfaction in our soul which he compares to a rich feast. God's presence does not abandon us, for God is with us always; why can't we not sing praises to God? God is our help and assistance in all things; let our souls cling to God so that we can stay in love with God.

PRAYER: Loving God, let me find Your love if we find ourselves feeling far from You. Lead us to the sanctuary where we might find anew Your love. Let me stay in love with You, for I know that You're in love with me. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

PS A special day today, for 35 years ago, she said "I do" to me! I love you, Babe! Thank You, Lord for these years!

Thought for the Day

May I seek to do no harm, to do good, and to stay in love with God.

Gather me, Gather Me!

Luke 13:31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." 32 He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, "Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.' " (NRSV)

Reading this passage takes me back to the days of vibrant downtown Kingsville. No boarded up stores, for downtown was the equivalent of today's shopping centers. We had real 5¢ and 10¢ stores, where items still sold for a nickel and a dime. And during the approach of Easter some of these stores had in their display windows what seemed like hundreds of baby chicks that had been dyed in pastel colors. It seemed every year for a spell, we had a "pet" chicken. it seemed that in no time that chick would grow into a full-size hen and not leave our yard. And I'll stop the story there, for I know many of my generation know "the rest of the story."

Jesus knew about hens and chicks and He knew His role in coming to bring love and protection to the people of God. In spite of Jesus' pure intent in preaching, teaching, working signs and wonders, not everybody liked him; in fact, the Pharisees made it their full time preoccupation to find a way to destroy Him. This passage finds them even warning Jesus to leave the area for "Herod wants to kill you." Jesus was not afraid and told them that His plan was to continue His ministry of "casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow," and hints at what was to come on "the third day." His attention turns to lament over the city of Jerusalem, for it did not have a good history in terms of its relationship with God and God's messengers. He then makes the declaration, "How often I have desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" How typical and tragic that as He's speaking these words, He has learned firsthand that Jerusalem's attitude towards God and God's messengers has not changed. God offers love and protection and we want our own way. God offers us a place to find refuge and we want to run away. Jesus then speaks a word about that Sunday when the crowds would holler, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord."

Our Lenten Journey should take us right to the wings of God's love and protection. It should take us to that place of blessing and strength with which we can face life and life's challenges and opportunities. Time spent under God's wings can prepare us and bless us to be the blessing those running from God need to hear. This area in which we live is undergoing an oil and gas boom called Eagle Ford Shale. It has made several landowners very wealthy almost overnight. It has brought in a labor force that has claimed all available housing and has closed down area hotels and motels for a long time. As a result new apartments and new hotels are going up quickly. In a workshop we had to help us strategize how best to serve these new residents, we heard disturbing news of how this boom has affected the area in negative ways. The most troubling was that some of the "man camps" where these men live have had to hire security guards to keep out high school girls who have discovered prostitution as a way to make money with the men living in these camps. They, as a small example, are precisely the "brood" that Jesus wants under His wings. So are the men who take advantage of them.

Our work to share the good news will always have a ready challenge and opportunity in which to share that better way that we know. Our time spent with God helps prepare us to live a life that should invite others to "come and taste that the Lord is good."

PRAYER: Loving God, it seems that I run so fast from here to there that I sometimes forget that I have a place where I can rest and be blessed. I thank You again for Jesus and His message to me and all who claim it, that You can gather us under Your wings as a hen gathers her brood. Gather me, dear Lord, gather me. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Do As I Say, Not As I Do?

Philippians 3:17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. (NRSV)

"Do as I say, not as I do" was a quote I heard a couple of times during my rebellious days with my Dad. Dad did and still does great things. His quote was more out of frustration than actual truth. I know he heard it somewhere and in some cases, did apply to my situation. He usually said this when I did not particularly care to do something he had asked of me, and I wondered why he was not joining me. Paul, on the other hand, knows he is striving to be a positive role model to others and does invite imitation of his life, in which he was imitating Christ. He knew Whose he was, and how to live. He was a friend indebted to the cross of Christ, not an enemy, but he knew that many were still enemies of the cross of Christ. He knew that how they lived would be their downfall and they seemed to relish the thought of being shamed. I finally saw the movie "Flight" with Denzel Washington. I would caution those of you about to board a plane, not to see this movie. It is not a true story, but the Denzel character, "Whip" Whitaker, shows what Paul was talking about in choosing things for the "belly" and having things on "earthly things." Whip's obsession was alcohol and drugs, and he flew a plane under the influence. I won't spoil the movie, but if you want to see a good movie, this is one.

Paul was a citizen of Heaven. From Heaven came his savior and ours. We should know we are also citizens of Heaven and should live as such. If we set our mind and live our lives according to Heavenly things we won't have the problems we might be having. The Heavenly things are things of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness. The earthly things are not always the opposite but don't serve us as well as the things of Heaven. Who can truly live a life of indifference instead of love? Who seeks unhappiness or sourness, when one can have joy? Who likes living anxiously and worried about everything? Some do, thinking they must, but they're wrong; peace goes a long way farther than anxiety. Patience brings many a saved disagreement or fight and may get us safely to our destinations if we're driving. Impatience does not. Giving freely and lovingly blesses us. Stinginess does not. We may save some money, but we're losing out on a greater thing. And being faithful to God is where it's at. The opposite is doubt and all his cousins, despair, hopelessness, and some of the negative ones listed above. During this Lenten Journey, shouldn't our personal emphasis be on doing as Christ Jesus did, and seek a deeper and fuller connection with God? Shouldn't our thoughts be driven by our desire to know and to share with others that our citizenship is in Heaven not here?

PRAYER: Amazing God, let me connect with You today in ways that bring to me a life that will bless others. May I so live my life like Jesus, that others may want to imitate Him as well. Bring to me the peace of knowing that my citizenship is with You in Heaven and the things calling to me now are not as important nor can bless me as much as the things from You. Deepen my faith I pray, in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

God Keeps His Word

Genesis 15: 1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." 4 But the word of the Lord came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." 5 He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7 Then he said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess." 8 But he said, "O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" 9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, (NRAV)

"I wouldn't be here if I did not trust You, Lord, but here it is some years later, and I don't really have a child of my own." These might have been the words of Abraham to God. "I had enough faith to leave my family and homeland to come here. You haven't kept Your end of the bargain..." In some ways, we have been here ourselves. We find ourselves at an interesting point of our lives and wonder why or what's next. God always has an answer. We usually don't have patience. Abram, whose name had not yet been changed, then is treated to a mysterious, if not frightening, experience. Abram did as God told him and brought sacrificial animals and waited. It was as the sun was going down that Abram fell into a deep sleep and "a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him." Then God shared His promise again that the land promised to Abram and his descendants would be his indeed; and the second part of the promise that his descendants would be like the stars of the sky, too numerous to count. This from the God whose name and whose promises are "I am." God spoke at the beginning of this passage with the declaration, "I am your shield; your reward shall be great."

God's promise was fulfilled, for we know the rest of the story, as it will in your life. If we believe that God has a purpose and plan for our life, we should know that God travels with us and will not forsake us nor deny us that which God promises. To all who believe in His Son, Jesus we were given the promise of fullness of life, and on top of that, the results of the work to which we have committed ourselves. The key is trust which should bless us with patience. Our clocks and the clock of God are not the same. God has a way of counting and keeping time that does not always match ours. But that which God promises in covenant is kept. Ours is the New Covenant in Jesus and serves to give us that trust and hope that will see us through whatever may come our way as a test or challenge. We have only to stay connected with God in all things and in all ways.

PRAYER: Loving God, bless us with trust and patience, for we need to have hope that You are with us, watching and loving us, and will bless us with that which will come our way. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Hope in the Lord!

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall. 3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident. 4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. 5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock. 6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. 7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! 8 "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, Lord, do I seek. 9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation! 10 If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up. 11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. 12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence. 13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (NRSV)

You may have thought what I've thought, "David had it made!" Of all the kings in Israel's history to his point, David was among the best. I attended a conference on leadership some years ago on the campus of one of our largest churches and I thought the same about that pastor. His church is so large, he must be free from criticism, sniping, anger... If I could just get my church that large, I'll be set too. Well, the pastor opened the conference almost with those words. "Some of you think I have it made..." and he went on to dispel that notion. He had probably ten times the number of critics as I, at least that, and many more who sought constantly for things for which to attack him. He even shared how they sat on the front rows of his church and scowled as he made his way to the pulpit. "My prayer is, 'Lord, give me a heart to love these people,' as I walk to the pulpit every Sunday to preach the Word of God." This psalm tells us that David suffered like us, but found in God the strength and hope that saw him through and can also see us through. In the darkness of almost daily suffering, surrounded by those, who like wild animals, would love to "devour my flesh," "they shall stumble and fall." (v.2).

For David, worship was essential and key to his life and how he lived. He sought the "beauty of the Lord," meaning the presence and truth in God, accepting even beams of light shining in to the temple as that very presence and beauty of the Living God, ready to hear him and bless him with strength and hope. David even sought to see the "face of the Lord," meaning his desire to worship involved the seeking the truth of God in the midst of trial and suffering; to be able to say, even in the midst of this that I did not expect or think I can win, here is God.

This psalm is a prayer and can be read as such. Our trials and tests may not be what David faced, but for us they sure seem big enough, but the blessing and reality is that God is bigger. No matter the trial or the challenge that has come into our life, God is bigger and in God we can find that which we need. Do we need time away from this challenge? Hide in God! Do we need the words and courage to stand up to it? Find both in God! Do we feel abandoned by everyone, even family? Find in God the parent we need that will never let us down. May the day come soon when we can join David in saying, "I believe that I have seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."

Hope in the Lord, this psalm says; be strong and may our hearts find courage; hope in the Lord!

PRAYER: Loving God, in You I and this dear reader, place our hope. You know what we face and how we need You, so come, and be our hope, our strength, and our light. May I find in You the strength to say, "I believe I have seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." May it be so and may it bring a blessing of hope and joy that I can share with others. This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Saying Yes to God in a No to God World

Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." 4 Jesus answered him, "It is written, "One does not live by bread alone.' " 5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." 8 Jesus answered him, "It is written, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.' " 9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, "He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' 11 and "On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' " 12 Jesus answered him, "It is said, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' " 13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.(NRSV)

You and I have had "wilderness" experiences. In some ways, our days in school were wilderness adventures. Most of us survived; some got out with scars, emotional and otherwise, others had their world view changed, some for the good, others for the not-so-good. Had most of us been, like Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, we might have had different outcomes. We were tempted with things and people that we thought if we don't take advantage now, we'll never have this chance again. Some of us walked away. Some of us did not. One summer, during my high school years, and I could have started this in a biblical way, In the year that AstroWorld opened in Houston... (AstroWorld was an amusement park across the street from the Astrodome, now gone. But it opened with the claim that their wooden roller coaster was the biggest and baddest. Its name was the Texas Cyclone. I had not yet gone to the park, thus my having a summer job at the plant with my Dad. He worked in another building and I in one where we assembled computer components. These were telephone booth (remember those?) sized computers. My job was to wash assembled mother boards with freon. Great smell, not! There was a cool guy who worked there, a surfer type. He had long hair, spoke like that turtle in Finding Nemo, wore the wild shirts, and just seemed to be in another world. One morning he approached me and showed me a napkin. "Hey, Mister Chicano Dude, look at this!" I looked in the napkin and saw a clear little square. "This is Window Pane!" He laughed as if I knew what Window Pane was. I thought it must be the window pane of a very small doll house. He did not hesitate, "It's acid, man! LSD! You cut this in four, take a tab and man it's quite a rush!" I just looked at him and thought, so this is why we've been told about drugs and stuff at school? "You been to AstroWorld yet? Why don't we go this coming Saturday, we'll cut a tab, get on the Cyclone and it'll blow our minds!" I thanked him for the offer and walked away. It was an encounter I never forgot, but thank God for the ability to say no to something that ruined many a person's life.

Jesus, immediately after His baptism, was led to the wilderness. His intent was to spend forty days in prayer and fasting to prepare for His earthly ministry. His plans to be made stronger spiritual encountered offers from the devil to do otherwise. The first temptation came at the end of this preparation time when famished by not having had any food for 40 days, the devil presents to HIm a rock from the region that looks also like the bread of the region. "Hey, Son of God, prove Your power in turning this rock into bread." The first temptation was a logical one, feed yourself at any cost, even if it means using your power to transform rocks into bread. Jesus quotes Scripture saying, "One does not live by bread alone." Jesus is then led up to a mountain top (according to the other accounts) and show in an instant all the kingdoms of the world and they are offered to him by the devil who says that they are his. All he asked in return was for Jesus to worship him. In other words, power, honor and glory can be yours if you turn your spiritual attention to me! Again, scripture, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'" Then, taking Jesus to the Holy City, to the holy place, the Temple at the very top of the temple, Jesus is asked, "If you truly are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here," and here the devil shows that he, too, knows the Scriptures, "For it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" Interesting how the devil knows both the Word of God and that the Word of God was fulfilled in Jesus. But Jesus again responds with scripture and says, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." And the devil left him "until an opportune time."

The devil was not through with Jesus, and he's not through with you or me. The Bible says he awaiting "an opportune time." We should know our weaknesses for temptation knows them. Those of you who gave up chocolates for Lent, bummer that today is Valentine's Day! The same for sweets, for you will be offered sweets galore. The challenge always has been to say Yes to God in a world that seems to say No to God. To say yes to God will sometimes mean our having to say no to chances, opportunities, etc. that we believe will benefit or bless our lives. The ultimate question had to be, Will this serve God if I say yes to this? It may mean saying Yes to God by saying No to the world.

This is but Day One of our Lenten Journey. We journey not alone, but with God always present. Let Jesus do the talking, we do the listening. Let our lips be used to praise God and give God glory.

PRAYER: Loving God, for the times we have said No to temptation we are thankful. As we start this Lenten Journey, journey with us; bless us and guide us to a deeper faith. May I today be stronger spiritually than I was yesterday. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Thought for the Day

Lent is about pleasing God not us!

ASH WEDNESDAY, WHY?

I will forever have a taste for salmon croquettes. I will forever love the sight, but not taste of, nopalitos con huevo (egg with cactus). My mother was a Catholic until I was ten years old. She and my Dad married in a Catholic church with my Dad signing papers that they would raise their children Roman Catholic. And in a way they did. We were faithful followers of Lenten cuisine, though our roots were firmly Methodist. I have shared how every Ash Wednesday I would see some of my friends and classmates with what I thought were smudges of mud on their forehead and they would correct me when I tried to remove it from them. "The priest put it there!" Lent was not something we observed in my home church in Kingsville and something later introduced into a church where I attended as campus minister. The first Ash Wednesday service I attended the pastor very wisely asked the parishioners to be anointed with oil as our faithfulness to Matthew's passage.

Why even have an Ash Wednesday service or an observation of Lent? Because we are sinners. Just like Baptists don't own the word salvation, the Catholics do not own Lent. It is a forty day period of spiritual preparation for the coming Resurrection celebration of our Lord. Look at the words of the scriptures set aside for today: The psalmist knew of his sin and the need for a washing and blotting out of our transgressions, iniquities, and sins. We have sinned against God and others and we stand in need of forgiveness. Some of us keep our sins ever before ourselves in our minds sometimes to the point of a slowing down of our spiritual progress. This is a time to say to our sin, enough! You have been taken away by the only one who can, the Living God in whom I believe.

Paul puts it a bit more modernly, this is a time to be reconciled with God. There is nothing worse than being alienated from loved ones for whatever reason. Sometimes it takes us, even if we are not too blame, to say I'm sorry to the person from whom we are alienated. Our sin certainly alienates us from God. God was not to blame, we were. And we need to seek to be reconciled with God. This is a time to remember that Jesus, "who knew no sin," became sin, on our behalf, so that in Jesus we might become (listen to this!) "the righteousness of God."

Jesus said, this time of spiritual reflection and preparation is a private matter between you and God. It is a time of private, honest, confessional prayer. Share with God that which needs to be shared, confessing what needs to be confessed so that God can indeed wash, blot and remove our transgressions, iniquities, and our sins. And if we fast during these forty days, that is give up something as part of our "fast" then take up something spiritual in its place. Many give up sweets for these days, they should take up either prayer time or scripture reading when they would have been enjoying sweets. Instead of a dessert of pie, enjoy a psalm! Our fasting may be public today in showing a mark of ash on our forehead, but inwardly from now until Easter Sunday, it is a time to inwardly seek forgiveness and newness from God.

Why Lent? Because God deserves it and we need it.

PRAYER: Dear God, today is a special day. It marks the start of a spiritual journey for many using the 40 days that Your Son, Jesus, spent in the wilderness preparing for his ministry. Let us grow each day closer to You and being made right with ourselves and others. We need this time to glorify You and thank You for all You did through Jesus during this season of Lent, the time of Passion and crucifixion and resurrection. Let me be ready to share with others, and let me be ready to join in with the celebration that is Your victory over sin and death. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Make this day special, for you are special to God.

Eradio Valverde

SCRIPTURES: Psalm 51:1-7 (NRSV): 1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. 5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. 6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

2 Corinthians 5:20b-21 (NRSV): we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Matthew 6:5-6; (NRSV): 5 "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 16 "And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Thought for the Day May this first step of 40 days be a big one in my spiritual life!

Celebrating God's Generosity

Deuteronomy 26:1 When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, "Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us." 4 When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God,5 you shall make this response before the Lord your God: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. 6 When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, 7 we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. 8 The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; 9 and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me." You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God. 11 Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house. (NRSV)

God is the source of all good gifts. A simple, but powerful truth closely tied to that is that you can't out-give God. The passage for today is a decree to the people of God to remember what God has given to them. It was the gift of freedom from oppression and a land in which to reside and in which to celebrate that freedom from slavery. And, the writer says, as we remember we should return to God a gift symbolizing our gratitude and thankfulness to the Giver of all good. The instruction is simple; give to God the first and the best of what God has given to you. As you enter into the land and every time you remember God's goodness, celebrate in a gift back to God. The passage in verse five is a passage of remembrance of the story; from one "wandering Aramean" came who we are today. The days of prosperity in a foreign land ended with cries for freedom and prayers to God for liberty from this slavery, and God heard and saw their affliction. It was God's mighty power demonstrated in that freedom that is still at work in our lives.

God continues to be involved in and caring for our wellbeing. God has provided us with more than "milk and honey," which was a symbol of not only what was needed but a little extra, and from that we should return back to God in a spirit of thanksgiving. Count your blessings if you can; they're probably too numerous to number because God is that way. What have you given God?

PRAYER: Loving God, great is Your love and demonstrated in all that You have given to us. The greatest gift is the gift of Jesus, Your only begotten Son, for our freedom and liberty from the bonds of spiritual slavery to sin and death. May I be grateful and demonstrate that gratitude to You now and always; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Thought for the Day I can't out-give God, nor am I expected to; but I can give Him my all!

Our Hiding Place

Psalm 91:1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust."9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. 14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. 15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. 16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation. (NRSV)

Mine was under my house in Kingsville. David probably had a cave or a secluded spot in his pasture where he knew to hide. A hiding place at any age is sometimes necessary. It may not be a real physical place, but a time or a sense of being alone and protected. It may have been those times David hid that the inspiration for this psalm came to him. David knew that because of God's awesomeness, he could say, "God, I do trust in You, it is like being inside a strong castle or the confines of my cave; nowhere do I feel safe." And then in what now is seen as a prophetic message foretelling that which Jesus would fulfill, David says that the one who has made the Lord his refuge and dwelling place will not have evil nor a scourge come near him. The angels will be commanded by God to care for him in all his ways. Their strength will hold him up; not even a bruise from a stone shall come to his feet; lions and serpents will not be a threat to him. David declares, "Those who love the Lord will be delivered by God; and God's protection shall be on all who know the name of the Lord." The psalmist knew that these prayers of those who love and hide in the Lord would be answered; God's presence would be with them in times of trouble, and rescue and honor would be theirs. A long life would be their satisfaction and God's salvation would be shown to them.

This passage is setting the tone for this coming Sunday's Gospel lesson. The images and promises of the psalmist would come to life in Jesus in the passage from Luke that we will read later this week. For now we hear the ancient word speaking about events to come that for us have already past but also with a message about our needing to have the same faith as Jesus. In God we do have a hiding place. In God we can trust. In God we can find unexplainable protection, and our prayers are answered in the Lord. We are never alone, God is with those who call upon Him; and those who trust in God will find the rescue that is needed whenever necessary.

PRAYER: Loving God, be my hiding place today. Let me find in You that which David found and later Jesus found and used. Speak to my weaknesses and doubts; let me know to call on You at all times, with hope and trust knowing my prayers will be answered according to Your will and that in You I have found satisfaction and salvation. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Thought for the Day

The battles of life are best fought knowing we can trust and hide in God.

The Transfiguration!

Luke 9: 28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. 37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." 41 Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." 42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astounded at the greatness of God. (NRSV)

Those who have seen the glory of God in the everyday will not be surprised at the glory of God in the divine. This week we have been talking about the glory of God. The psalmist explained it in Monday's reading, Exodus on Tuesday tried to explain it on the face of Moses, yesterday, Paul went beyond veils in explaining the need for it. And today, Jesus steps into the divine and He has two witnesses. Here's how the story goes; in the first part of the chapter, Jesus gives supernatural, miracle-working power to the disciples (authority over demons and the ability to heal diseases). He sent them on an evangelistic mission of sharing the Good News with those who would hear. Word spread quickly about Jesus and His disciples' abilities and the crowds grew and so did the rumors about who Jesus might be, even Herod was in on the gossip wondering if his enemy, John the Baptist had come back from the dead. And Jesus tops all of these events by feeding a multitude with five loaves and two fish. There is a give and take between Jesus and the 12 where Jesus asks them who they thought He was, and Peter says Jesus is the Messiah. Then He goes and spoils it all by saying something about His having to suffer and die, and at the end of that week He takes Peter, James and John on a prayer retreat. These three were the inner circle of Jesus'. Peter was in a way the leader after Jesus, and James and John were the "Sons of Thunder," a name Jesus gave to them. They were in on some of the coolest stuff Jesus said and did, and this day they would again be privileged to see something unexplainable. Notice the power of prayer at work here; Jesus is praying, connecting with God, and His face changed, and so did the appearance of His clothing, now dazzling white. Then, in a way that the Spirit made possible, these three humans see and recognize Moses and Elijah talking to Jesus. Talk about connecting! Here the closing words of the last book of the Old Testament are being fulfilled (Malachi 4:4-5) in their presence. The giver of the law which God said we must never forget, and the man who loved God so much that he did not die but was taken up to Heaven in a chariot of fire and whom Malachi quotes God as saying that Elijah would be sent to them "before the great and terrible day of the Lord." And here are three Corpus Christi fishermen front-row witnesses to this! Of course, these three missed nap time and they were very sleepy and what Peter says the Bible says didn't make much sense, but all Peter could think to say was, "Hey, glad we're here, we can build tents for the three of you!" God intervenes and says, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to Him!" A cloud that had been present during the terrestrial visit of Moses and Elijah disappeared and after the voice, Jesus was alone. And the three did not say anything about this experience because who would believe them?

That was some spiritual retreat! Nine could say they slept; three could say they were swept away by the awesomeness of God (Some church members still can say both of those things! wink, wink!). And that would have been enough to hold them for a long time and I'm guessing the three did not want the great feeling and power of that retreat to quickly fade, but here comes reality! A father steps out of the crowd that gathered to greet Jesus and cries for help for this son was his only child. The child suffered from what was then called a demon possession where the child would shriek, foam at the mouth and mutilate himself and never leave the boy in peace. The man had asked the disciples to help but they could not; how quickly the power of the retreat wore off! Jesus said a word about that but then rebuked the spirit and healed the boy, returning him whole to the dad. All who saw it were astounded at the power and awesomeness of God.

You and I have been at both places. Places where our mouths have dropped in awe and wonder and places where we could not do a thing expected of us; but always in a place where Jesus steps in and does what is needed. That is enough for us to stay with those who are still astounded today at the awesome of God. A God who never sleeps and never denies the good for those who call upon Him. A God who invites all of us into a relationship with Him through Jesus. And we who are in that relationship should then be those who invite others to come and see and experience what God can do, for God can do it all.

PRAYER: Loving and awesome God, thank You for the glory seen and experienced even today. As we study the transfiguration and see how through Jesus we can see the divine even in the mundane, we are in awe of You and seek you. May we be a part of that which ministers glory and hope to those who otherwise might say in the doom and gloom of everyday life. We have been to the mountaintop and we want others to join us. This we pray in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Thought for the Day

We might not be transfigured here, but God can still transform us.

We Are Being Transformed! No Veils!

2 Corinthians 3:12-18; 4:1-2: 12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, 13 not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. 14 But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. 15Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; 16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 1 Therefore, since it is by God's mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart.2 We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God's word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God. (NRSV)

A believer in Christ Jesus seeks to be changed every day. We cannot be satisfied with being the same today as we were yesterday. And from what Paul is instructing us in this passage, we should act bolder today than we did yesterday for the sake of Christ. He reminds us of yesterday's passage from Exodus about Moses hiding his face behind a veil and today he says, no veils needed! We should seek to be transformed by God into the same image as Christ, all of us with one degree of glory to another. We are ambassadors of Truth in Christ Jesus and hiding anything is not needed nor acceptable. We are engaged in ministry to bring transformation to all the world and because of that we find encouragement and not discouragement. We renounce the shameful things we used to hide and stand on the truth of God's love for all people, for all to see.

It was the glory of God that Moses experienced that rubbed off on him and it was reflected on his face and Moses sought to hide it behind a veil. It is that same glory of God that we encounter in our devotional and worship times that should rub off on us and we need not hide it! The world like never before needs to see the glory of God present on us in a way that invites others to come to that same understanding. The world is seeking truth and meaning and where will it find it? On the tiny screen of a smartphone, or the slightly larger screen of a tablet or laptop? It depends what that screen is showing. The brightness of our lives and faces as reflecting the love and presence of Christ Jesus is brighter than any screen and will contain the truth that leads to life and that in abundance. Seek to remove the veils that we out of shyness or shame place on ourselves, and seek to shine the power of Jesus' love.

Seek to live today in a bolder way. Share more. Love more. Seek Christ more. It will make a world of difference in your life and in the lives of others.

PRAYER: Loving and merciful God, I seek to be bolder and better for You today than I was yesterday. I seek to see Your glory reflected in my life and in my being so that others will be attracted to You and Your love. May I be a witness of mercy and grace so that more can be snatched from the pits of despair and gloom into the fullness of life. This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio

Your Epidermis is Showing!

Exodus 34: 29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; 34but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him. (NRSV)

"Pardon me, but your epidermis is showing," words from the first song I heard on my music player as I took my first walk in a long time. It's a Christian song by dc Talk and its message is about skin color and how we must all come together as the Maker intended. When I first heard it I journeyed back to elementary school when a wiseacre said to me, and others, "Hey man, your epidermis is showing! Ha ha!" We all looked down and around because we had not yet had that science class. But imagine if your skin gave away when you spent time with God, what would your show? Let's say the more time you spent the brighter your skin would glow. Imagine the brightness in your church! Imagine the brightness in your home, your car, your places of play! In today's passage, that's what happened to Moses. You see, Moses went to the mountain as ordered by God and spent time with God and God shared with Moses the Law, and as he's coming down with the two tablets the people below noticed that Moses's face was glowing, and glowing bright! You see if you spend time with God, God rubs off on you. The holiness of God rubbed off on Moses so much that his brother Aaron and the people of Israel were terrified and ran off. Moses had to call them all back and then he talked to them and shared the Law with them. When he had finished speaking Moses put a veil on his face.

You have known people to attend a retreat and then come back glowing from what they experienced and received from the Lord during that time away. It was that experience multiplied a thousandfold and you get the beginning of what Moses experienced while talking with God. There is a glow that comes from the joy of knowing and walking with God. It may not be bright enough that we have to put veils on our faces, but nonetheless it give glory to God for God's holiness in our lives. The opposite I believe is true also about sin and its effects on our lives. Our faces may betray the lack or loss of joy and the face of hopelessness does not shine bright. It's our choice; which do you choose?

PRAYER: Loving God, may I choose You and time with You as that which will bless my life. Give me the brilliance of joy and hope so that it attract others to come and see You in me. If I have wandered away and the lack of joy and hope is obvious, erase that and replace it with Your touch. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio

Is Nothing Sacred Anymore?

Psalm 99:1 The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! 2 The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. 3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he! 4 Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. 5 Extol the Lord our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he! 6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the Lord, and he answered them. 7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them. 8 O Lord our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. 9Extol the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy. (NRSV)

You and I have been there. Difficult to explain, but you knew. Your spirit told you. Your mind tried, but your heart knew. You knew you were standing on or near, sacred space. It might have been the tingles of your skin or the tingle of your heart, but you knew that you were in the presence of the holy. It may have been a place of worship, it may have been a final resting place of a loved one. It may have been the reading of sacred scripture for the day that spoke directly to you and your heart. It may have been a special look from a loved one. It was a glimpse into what a busy world does not usually see, the holy, the presence of that area that is mystery and purity mixed together and so hard to explain, but those who have sought it know it upon finding it. And then, dear friend, we are but at the first grain of sand of understanding what God's glory is. The psalmist experienced it through God's grace and so he wrote the words that he found to try to describe what it is: A king on a throne, surrounded by the heavenly court; to see such a sight all the earth knows to do is quake. Can you begin to understand how holy God is? Can you begin to understand the awesomeness of what makes God, God? It is the presence of justice not found on the earth, the reality of an equity that our humanness blemishes, a righteousness that is blameless before God, and all we can begin to do is worship God. The psalmist then lists those whom he knows were priests of the Holy One, Moses and Aaron, Samuel; their faithfulness to God was blessed by God's involvement in their lives as we can be with our faithfulness. For now, we join others as we worship and praise God, for God is indeed holy.

I asked the question, is there nothing sacred anymore, and the answer is still yes. The realm of God is sacred. When we enter into relationship with the Living God we enter into the sacred. When we invite the presence of God into our lives, those become sacred spaces. And it is in the sacred that God works in ways that those who walk with God understand and receive. In our world of this and that and busyness that keeps us here and there, and with the noises and distractions of all around us, we sometimes neglect the sacred. This psalm calls us back into that realm of wonder and awe that helps us better understand the sacredness and specialness of God in our lives.

PRAYER: Living God, bless and protect our lives from those things that take us away from the sacred. Come anew into our lives in ways that bring the sacred back to us. Grant us eyes and ears of faith to bless us in ways that bless You. This we pray in the sacred name of Jesus our Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde