A Carousel of Life?

Image from amusement--rides.com

Powerful Psalm of Pain and Promise

From Psalm 22: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame. But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people. All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; "Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver— let him rescue the one in whom he delights!" Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother's breast. On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled; I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me; they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me. I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him. From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.

The list of animals in the psalm is long. Let's start with worm, and how the psalmist feels like a worm. You've been there, haven't you? How about bulls encircling you? Yep. Yet, these are bulls which remind him of hungry lions. Dogs are all around him. Wild oxen are in there. So are lions. That's why I thought about a carousel; for some, it's a fun ride; some are afraid to get on it because of the animals. I have always loved carousels, and I have enjoyed them recently with my little ones. But imagine your life being like a carousel of real live symbolic animals because of your situation. You believe you've come to the end, an end with no hope. Haven't we heard this psalm somewhere else before? Think about it... Weren't these words uttered by a man hanging on a cross? Yes, Jesus shared these words as part of what we now call the Seven Last Words of Christ. (Mt. 27:26) And verse 18 of this same psalm appears in the crucifixion in John 19: 24.

The Lenten Journey may be like this for you or for people around you. Your search for hope takes you through dark valleys of loved ones or close friends. It is our job to take those hands of sorrow and lead them to the hands of salvation; the hands of Jesus. The psalmist ends this psalm on a positive, hopeful note. The fear and despair of the first part is replaced by praise to God, a God who will deliver His people.

PRAYER: Deliverer God, help me be delivered from sorrow and sadness, so that I may join those who seek to praise You to those still hurting and sad. This I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Walk Blameless before God

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God bless us with every new step to be a blameless one.

From Genesis 17:1-7; 15-16: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous." Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."

Rev. Charles Allen, the late pastor for First UMC in Houston, used to say, "Old age has a way of boiling away who you pretend to be, to who you really are." And he would share examples that we've seen as well; some old people become the sweetest, most loving people you ever hope to meet, and some become bitter, angry persons who hate everyone, especially themselves. This passage speaks to the need of all people to start early with walking blameless before God so that as the years peel away our facades we will be exposed as people of love. The blessings will be countless! Father Abraham, in this passage, is called by God to walk before God in a blameless way, and God promises a covenant to him. And with that covenant a promise of great blessings. And a name change. From a name meaning "exalted father" to "the father of multitudes." And keep in mind his age; Father Abraham is 99 years young.

So, it matters not how old or young you are, God wants us to walk with Him. He wants us to love Him and His in a way that blesses Him and blesses us. To walk blameless is to love God and please God. It means to put others before ourselves and to care and love one another.

Ready to take that first blameless step? God is! And blessings will be ours!

PRAYER: Loving God, let me walk blameless before You today and all days. I do it just for loving You, but I know great blessings will be mine as I care for You and Yours. This I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

God is Able

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Faith vs. Law

From Romans 4: 13-25: For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

Our Lenten Journey should take us to the place where we can say, God is able. For, if nothing more, as we seek to grow closer to God and deeper into His Word, we find passages like today's, that say that very thing. Jesus came to show that it is faith in God's power and promise that brings fullness of life, not simply adhering to do's and don'ts. Abraham became the father of nations when he was as "good as dead," and when he considered his wife's womb as barren. His faith was strengthened by giving God glory.

As we walk these 40 days, stop to give God glory. It is in so doing that we are made stronger, and that which we know becomes real: God is able.

PRAYER: Loving God, as I face whatever comes my way during my days, help me to give You glory in all things. Help my faith to strengthen and help me honor and bless Your precious and holy name. This I pray in my Savior's powerful name, Jesus the Christ, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

What Did You Say?

Image of a painting by Jason Rodriguez, and the admiration of that by our grandson, Liam Carlos Vasquez. Taken at Beacon of Hope in Aransas Pass.

I lost You after You said You were going to die!

From Mark 8: 31-38: Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Jesus shared some serious things with His disciples, and one of them in return, shared some serious things with Him. Jesus said, I will suffer greatly. I will be rejected by the elders. I will be rejected by the chief priests. I will be rejected by the scribed. I will be killed. And, I will, after three days, rise again. Where would Jesus have lost you? Peter was lost with probably the first thing. Peter was so upset with that first thing, he didn't hear any of the things after, especially the part of resurrection. Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes Him! Jesus calls Peter Satan, and tells him to behind Him. Jesus also told Peter that he was setting his mind on human things, not the divine things.

Here comes somer more serious stuff: If you want to become Jesus' follower, you must 1) deny yourself, 2) take up your cross, and 3) follow Jesus. This Lenten Journey has been about denying ourselves; putting Christ and spiritual things first over the physical. Taking up the cross, especially in recent days, could mean marking yourself for death. The ISIS group before executing 21 Christians from Egypt said their enemy was now "the people of the Cross."

We should fear not, for like Jesus, we too, will rise again through Him. We should live our lives not ashamed or afraid to follow Jesus, but live a life with confidence and love. Help somebody come to that same life.

PRAYER: Loving God, in spite of all the dangers, we place You first. Help me to deny myself, to take up my cross, and to follow Jesus. This I pray in His name, Jesus my Lord and Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Lenten Covenant

Image by Joseph Anton Koch

Everything You See One of These From Genesis 9:8-17:

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, "As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

Covenant is a special word. It is found in our scriptures, and comes to mean something along the lines of a holy contract, but more special. If it were a contract, God would be the party of the first part, the central party; the one party that will never break His end of the promise. We find such a contract in today's passage. Noah, after the flood, as he and his family is worshiping God, hears God say, "I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you...that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." And to emphasis that covenant, God placed a rainbow in the sky as a sign of that promise. But we should note the word in the Bible for rainbow is the word for bow as in bow and arrow, emphasizing the seriousness of that promise.

A greater covenant was the one made with us through Jesus Christ. One that is called Good News. Christ took away our sins and gave us victory over death.

PRAYER: Loving God, help me to never forget the seriousness of Your love towards me. May we seek You in all things to glorify You. In Christ Jesus our Lord we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Step Three of Forty

Leading Me to God

From 1 Peter 3:18-22:

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

We are people of the cross. To have received a cross of ash or oil on Wednesday identified us as believers in all that the cross represents; Christ suffering for our sins once and for all, the Righteous (Jesus) dying for the unrighteous (you and me!) to put to death death in the flesh and to bring to life the spirit. It is believed that while in death, Christ visited those dead without Him; and now sits at the right hand of God, with everyone and everything subject to His reign.

Let us live a life that glorifies the power of Jesus to defeat death and sin in our lives. Let us be not afraid to tell others about this awesome act.

PRAYER: Loving God, in You I have found life. Let me share it with others. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Step Two of Forty

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Jesus is in Sight!

From Joel 2: 1-2; 12-17: Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near— a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come. Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, "Spare your people, O Lord, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, "Where is their God?' "

As quiet as we make Lent out to be, our silent observation of spiritual disciplines should shout out the glory of God in our actions and attitudes. Our return to God should involve every aspect of our being, starting with our love, and not just for God, but for all people; our fasting, what we have taken up should include doing for others and being aware of others; our emotions, yes, weep for the injustices we see and read about, mourn with those who mourn; inwardly show God you're sincere and mean what you are trying to and be.

As people may wonder or ask, "Where is God," they should be able to see Him in us. Anything or anyone else is a sham. Lent is real. And so should we be.

PRAYER: Let me be real in every aspect of my being; remove what is evil and bad, guide me to the pure and good; let my life shout that I belong to You, O Living God. Amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Step One of Forty

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Walking Towards Jesus

From 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10: 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. As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, "At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you." See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Reconciliation. What a wonderful word when it is lived out. We have all been at that place where we have been estranged from someone; sometimes we even forgot the reason why we no longer talk or even acknowledge their existence. But when we reconcile the joy and freedom that comes with it is so worth the effort. Remember back when you were estranged from God. Jesus came to make that right, and there was that moment when you said, "Yes, Lord, I do want You and I want to be in a relationship with You." That was reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. That is also salvation. We were saved from a life of sin and despair to the fullness of life, a life lived with meaning and purpose. Lent is that time when we remember that and tell others about it. We should live our lives as Paul and his followers who lived blameless lives, nothing could be pointed at and said, "Aha, but look at how you're living!" Those followers did not let anything get in the way of that blameless life, not afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger. Instead, purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; all came together as a weapon of love and righteousness. Attitudes were changed and life was made even more glorious.

Take the first step. Reconcile with God. Tell somebody about it. The journey is best traveled with others joining us.

PRAYER: LORD, I take this first step and invite You into my heart again. Let me walk with You and towards God. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

P.S. I've started a 40 photos for Lent blog. You can see the first one here: http://40lentphotos.blogspot.com/2015/02/announce.html

Prayer Request: Mr. Daryl Edwards of Goliad, TX, was filling in at our church Fannin Street UMC. He died while preaching at a funeral two days ago. He died unexpectedly, and leaves a great void in the ministry of that church, and of course, in his family. His funeral will be Saturday. Please pray for his widow, Gladys, and for his family and the church family of Fannin Street.

Image from angusday.org Jesus' example for us

From Mark 1:9-15: In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 1He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."

This is the reading for next Sunday. To better understand it, this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the day that marks the beginning a forty day journey known as Lent. Most churches will offer the imposition of ashes on one's forehead as a symbol of our readiness for this Lenten Journey. It is very much a spiritual journey, involving discipline and sacrifice. This passage shows Jesus' commitment to this journey for Himself. He presents Himself for baptism, and this faithfulness is marked by a voice from Heaven declaring Jesus to be "My Son, the Beloved; with You I am well pleased." Spirit driven, Spirit rewarded, Jesus' baptism shows the need to identify with humanity and humanity's biggest need is to seek that which delivers us from our sins. Jesus, Whom we know was without sin, identifies with the power of baptism and shows that He is very much in tune with the human condition. And just as the Holy Spirit drove Him to baptism, it leads Him into the wilderness for forty days. Mark's gospel summarizes these days with "tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on Him." Other gospels share longer insights into what happened in the desert, but Mark is content with just sharing the highlights. It was a time of preparation and a difficult time at that; and after it was over, Jesus was ready to move forward obediently to what awaited Him.

Mark shows Jesus coming to Galilee to begin His public ministry by proclaiming the sermon of His cousin John the Baptist: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." Again with that pesky issue of sin. For one to know and enter into God's kingdom, one must repent of one's sins, and have faith in the good news of God's love and deliverance for all people.

Lent is that time when we focus on God's power to free us from our sins. God knows the journey that leads to sin, but God offers that which delivers us from that condition. We enter into the fulfillment of time when we ask that our sins be removed and believe in the message of good news.

PRAYER: Loving God, as I prepare to know You better, help me to know that the sin within me from be removed. I can't do it alone, I need You to remove that sin from me. Take me from this marking of time into the fulness of time and the joy of the good news. This I pray in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

God is Coming to Judge

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Are You Willing to Flee the Coming Wrath of God?

From Psalm 50:1-6:

The mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him. He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people: "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!" The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. (Selah)

"How is it with your soul?" "Are you willing to flee from the coming wrath of God?" Two difficult questions that most people today would be afraid to ask, let alone answer. Yet, these are very distinctly Methodist questions, asked by John Wesley. The first was a weekly asked question as you would gather to spend time together with your small class. The second was the admission question that would get you membership into that small class. Wesley knew his Bible and he was aware and a believer in the judgment of God. He knew those were eternal questions and did not want anyone not to know the answer for he knew those who did not know the answers would die separated from God.

The psalmist knew the love of God, but also knew the demands of God for His people to be righteous. He compares the daily rising and setting of the sun to the life cycle of birth and death, and God's role and presence in it. God gave us this life to live as righteous and as loving as we can; caring and helping others, seeking to make others aware of God. The self-centered and self-loving would be those who would risk the wrath of God for their greedy decisions and lifestyles that sought only to please themselves. Judgment would be harsh for them; not so for the ones who loved God and sought to love others.

PRAYER: Loving God, make me more aware of what You seek from me and in me. May I be one who encourages others to live a life that blesses You and others. Let me seek to be righteous for Thy sake; in Jesus' powerful name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Wow!

Where Do We Begin?

From 2 Kings 2:1-12:

Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent." Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent. Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

At first reading of this powerful passage there are a lot of stories happening in this one story. Elijah is about to leave this earth, and that is a big deal, especially for Elisha, his understudy. They are traveling to the place where Elijah is about to be taken. It is difficult for Elisha to say goodbye to Elijah. There are other prophets who seem to be enjoying telling Elisha that his mentor is about to leave earth. Enough already, shut up! Elijah performs a miracle in divides the Jordan River. They cross it on dry ground. Any last requests from me, asks Elijah? The younger prophet asks for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. Difficult request, but doable. A chariot of fire appears pulled by horses of fire. They take Elijah up to Heaven. Elisha mourns his departure.

Elijah had a tremendous ministry. I wish I could say he never wavered nor felt doubt. He did. He even sought to go home before it was time. But God used him in mighty ways even on his last day on earth. And Elijah's reward was that he did not experience death. He got a free ride up on this amazing chariot of fire right to the doors of Heaven. And Elisha was a witness to this amazing thing. His request was even granted; a double portion of Elijah's spirit to be faithful in the ministry that he was to begin.

The easiest thing to say is that God is involved in all of this. In the good and the bad, in the easy and the difficult, we can count on God's presence and power. In the loudness of other voices and influences we have the right to say enough already, shut up! In the miracles of life, both the expected and unexpected, God is awesome. And, important lesson, life never ends for those who walk with God. God is involved in your life. God is involved in your ministry. God will provide all you need to be faithful to Him. What are you waiting for?

PRAYER: Loving God, again I pray asking that the awe factor that I find in You never fade. You are an awesome God and I seek to delight in You. Give me strength; lift me up. Help me to see beyond what I see to the unseen, to the glorious in that realm that is You. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Let Light Shine Out of Darkness

Image from snowmobiling of Eradio and Nellie

We Preach Jesus as Lord

From 2 Corinthians 4:3-6:

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Nellie and I did something we never dreamed we do just last week. In a trip to Colorado, on the day before we returned home, we bundled ourselves up in clothing we had bought to play in the snow, and if that was not enough we squeezed ourselves into snow jumpsuits. We had to wear a helmet, and we bought snow goggles. What made the adventure a bit scary was the fact that goggles tend to fog up to the point of limited vision. The guide said that if we wore our glasses those would certainly fog up and we'd see nothing. Well, as the driver of our snowmobile I did not like the idea of no vision, especially as we were going up the side of a mountain to the Continental Divide. Everything was too beautiful not to see. The idea of a "veiled gospel" is not a good idea. And an even worse idea is to let "the god of this world," read, Satan, to blind "the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." This is where we, as believers, not blinded, step in. It is through our witness of our words and actions that we reflect the image of God in Christ. We should be living lives that are the only sermons many people will see. If we stumble around in darkness like everyone else, we are serving no purpose; for as verse 6 clearly states, "For it is the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness.'" Our hearts should be beaming out the light and love of Jesus who reflects the glory of God.

And as believers who gather to worship God, our churches should be lighthouses of this same glory. Let it not be as the story goes, the pastor asked for any prayer requests and a little child said, "I'd like to ask for more smiling faces!" A frowning congregation of people reflect no light nor love; even if one is hurting, while in worship, one is in the presence of the living God who will deliver us from our hurts, help us overcome the challenges we face, and lead us to glory; that in itself, dear readers, is enough to turn our frowns upside down! Let the church be a living sermon too, of what God can do in the lives of all who enter it.

Be the best sermon God can preach on this day.

PRAYER: Loving God, let me live a sermon life, that speaks of light in the face of darkness; hope in the face of hopelessness; joy in the face of despair; and healing in the face of hurts. This I ask in the name of He who is Love, Jesus my Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Here and There, God is Glorified!

The Mountain Top Experience

From Mark 9:2-9:

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

You and I have probably had those mountaintop experiences, where suddenly something about God became crystal clear. You can't quite explain it, but you feel it; sometimes you've seen it; and whatever it is you don't want it to end. Several settings lend themselves to these type of experiences; Mount Wesley in Kerrville was in my youth, the setting where I learned a lot about God. Later, in the mid-80s, it was where I was a pilgrim on my first Walk to Emmaus. The passage from Mark is the ultimate mountaintop experience for Jesus' inner circle. Peter, James and John were privy to several experiences that only they saw or experienced while alone with Jesus.

This comes right after Peter and several of His disciples try to rebuke Jesus for having said He was to suffer much and be killed at the hands of those who wanted His life. Peter was even called "Satan" for his role in this incident. But that's now behind them, and Jesus takes them to the top of this high mountain. As soon as they arrive there, Jesus is transfigured. The easiest way to try to explain this is that Jesus' body is both here, on that mountain, and there in Glory, the realm of God. The disciples could only explain it by trying to explain His clothing becoming "dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them." And to further the spiritual nature of this unique experience, they were able to see two figures with Jesus, whom they identified as being Elijah and Moses, who are talking with Jesus. The only thing Peter can think to say is that he and the other two could build shelters, or places to spend the night; that's how scared he was. Then, God sends a cloud and God's voice declares, "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him!" Then it all ended. This is the second time in Jesus' ministry that God has made this declaration; the first at Jesus' baptism, and now.

I always remember the closing words of the last book of the Old Testament; Malachi 4:4-5, where God says, "Remember the law of my servant Moses...Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes." Hmm. Coincidence that the disciples saw these two men mentioned? No. This is fulfillment of prophecy and promise, that God would send these two men, which He does in this experience. Peter. James. John. Witnesses to this unexplainable image of Jesus both here and There; Elijah and Moses present with them; and God declaring this is My Son!

We don't need mountaintop experiences to strengthen our faith. We just need reminders of what God has done in our lives thus far. The challenges and obstacles that are now gone because of God's action; the blessings too numerous to count; and the joy of life because He who came to bring the fullness of life lives within our hearts.

PRAYER: Loving God, for the joy of today I thank You. Yes, for many it is Monday and we may gripe about having to go to work, but remind us we are blessed to have that which provides for us and our families. Give me the joy of a mountaintop experience because You are with me. This I pray in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde