The Passwords of Praise!

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Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it! I'm forever telling everyone how faithful you are.  I'll never quit telling the story of your love - how you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it. Your love has always been our lives' foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world. You once said, "I joined forces with my chosen leader, I pledged my word to my servant, David, saying,  'Everyone descending from you is guaranteed life; I'll make your rule as solid and lasting as rock.'" Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.  Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do - they can't keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us - you've been so good to us! We're walking on air! All we are and have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King! (Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18)

I love passwords.  Only trouble is that I can't remember half of them!  I have most trouble with the most used ones, and I take for granted that my personal computer usually remembers them for me.  When I go to use one on a hotel computer, nada.  I can't remember it.  The psalmist is excited about God and God's love.  He's so excited, he's singing about God's love and telling whoever will listen, that God rocks!  God's faithfulness is worth singing about.  And it's a story we should never tire of telling.  God's love, as the psalmist sees it, is the foundation of our lives; God's fidelity is the roof over our world.  Quite an image, no?  And then, he uses the word passwords of praise to describe how those who are tuned into God already have access to God and because of that access are blessed and sing of that blessing.  

Remember the old game Password with Gene Rayburn?  The password guessed would lead to money,  but only the winner would get to keep the money won.  Passwords became popular with computers and having access to the computer itself or to programs, or to online services and apps; those who don't know the password can't get in.  And in the military, the password was the code that would mean life or death.  The great news is, again, that those who are tuned into God know the passwords of praise, and should be singing and telling about them to all who will listen.  They should join or form parades to declare the goodness of God.  It's so good, you can't help but dance with joy, and they surely cannot keep it quiet. God has been good to us and we should share with the world.

PRAYER:  Loving God, thank You for allowing all who seek You to have access to You.  Thank You also for allowing us to be in tune with You and to sing your praises.  Let us no longer keep quiet.  Let us sing with joy of Your love forever!  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Move around in praise and celebration; tell somebody of the goodness of God!

Eradio Valverde

God Sees To It!

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After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt-offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.’Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘Father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ He said, ‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?’ Abraham said, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together. When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’ And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt-offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place ‘The Lord will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’ (Genesis 22:1-14)

This is a well known passage in the Bible.  But it troubles a lot of people to read or hear about it.  We have to realize that this passage from the first book of the Bible sets the stage for the greater thing God did in the New Testament.  It is a precursor to the story of Jesus.  Here's the story:  God loves Abraham and provided for he and Sarah in their old age the son God had promised to them.  And, then to prove Abraham's love, God asks Abraham to take his only son Isaac, whom God knew Abraham loved very much, and to offer him as a burnt-offering.  Remember the wages of sin is death, and the Old Testament people believed in offering up the lives of animals in their place; for it would be the life of the lamb that would take the sin away from its owner.  And here, in a land where child sacrifice was prevalent, God asks Abraham to do the same as his neighbors.  There is not written mention of what Abe thought about all of this.  You can probably provide your dialog; I know I can!  But overall, Abe is obedient to God.  Abe trusts God, and knows that God has always provided in the ways God had promised.  Though his pain was severe, he makes his way towards obedience and faithfulness.  One can only imagine every step was a slow, painful one.  It only got worse once he and the boy reached the place where God expected this sacrifice to take place.  To make matters worse, the boy asks, "Where's the lamb, dad?  I see the wood and the fire, but where the lamb who will die for this sacrifice?"  Ouch.  Abe responds, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."  I would have probably muttered, "He better!"  But, Abe is obedient and reaches the place, builds the altar and sets the wood in place, then ties up his son and lays him on the wood and reaches up with his knife to sacrifice him.    It was then, at the last possible second, that God speaks through an angel and calls off Isaac's death. The message was received and God says, "now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."  And there was the ram, caught in the thicket by the horns, and this was offered up as the sacrifice. And then Abe names that place, "God Sees to It" or "The Lord will provide."

God does provide.  Always.  Perhaps not in ways that we or the world would dictate, but we get what we need.  And not only according to our timing and our desires.  After all, it is God in charge, not us.  Alfred Lord Tennyson would write in "The Charge of the Light Brigade" a quote that someone twisted a bit, "Ours is not to reason why; ours is but to do and die," speaking of the soldier's charge to obey even unto death.  And though God has not taken away our reasoning abilities, some situations require obedience and trust more than knowing the why and when.  Answers will come later; but action must be taken to serve God.  We could sit for days and days after knowing what we are to do, and nothing would happen; answers come after actions are taken in trust and obedience to God.

What's God asked of you?  Where are you in completing that task?  What are you facing?  Have you stopped moving because you're not sure you should move?  You'll get more done, and you'll get your answer as you take action and do what is expected.

PRAYER:  Loving God, speak to our hearts.  Bless those who are in the midst of doubt or who have paused a little too long and now do not want to move forward.  Help us take action on that which blesses You and Yours.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Keep moving!

Eradio Valverde

On the Journey Towards Sanctification?

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I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:19-23)

As a boy I loved the journey from our home in Kingsville to our church, El Buen Pastor UMC.  We were a one-car family, dad used the car, so Mom and my grandmother would walk us wherever we needed to go.  The mid-point of the journey was to reach the railroad tracks and walk along them until we reached the street of the church, and then we would use the street to reach the church.  The tracks were the most exciting part of the trip.  I had played on the tracks since I had permission to leave the house.  I had placed pennies on the track or small nails, waited for the next train and then there was a squashed penny or smashed nail.  My mother warned me of me being on the track when a train came by.  Paul speaks to us about the journey of faith.  Until we met Christ, we were pretty much led by our natural desires and passions.  We gave no serious thought to consequences, and as Paul describes it, it's pretty much true, we were "slaves to impurity."  But that part of the journey ended when Christ changed our lives, entered our hearts and became our Lord and King.  Now, Paul says, we should be "slaves to righteousness for sanctification."  Sanctification should be the name of our journey.  Wesley says while we were lost, God's previenent grace was wooing us, seeking that right relationship with us; when we accepted God's offer through Christ, we were participants in justification, being made acceptable while unacceptable through Jesus.  And from that moment on, we walked with Christ on the sanctification journey; each day seeking to be closer to God than the day before, our goal being to be made perfect in love in this life through the help of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  We should know better than to play on the tracks when the train is coming; in the same way, Christ helps us stay away from that which can bring us shame and death; that's our advantage, we get sanctification.  With it, "the end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is enteral life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So, journey well my friend, holding on to Christ for He knows the way and we know Him.

PRAYER:  Loving God, thank You for all You have done for and through us, in Jesus Christ.  We want to journey with You on this path of sanctification. Let us be a blessing to You and Yours.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Stay off the "tracks!"

Eradio Valverde

And Sometimes We Laugh

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Then little children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them; but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’ And he laid his hands on them and went on his way. (Matthew 19:13-15)

How I wish there was a simple verse that said, "Jesus laughed."  I've looked and looked.  There isn't one.  But as I thought about what could make Jesus laugh, I thought about the above passage.  After speaking on a subject that moved His emotions (read the entire chapter on your own), children are brought to Jesus for a blessing and His ever protective disciples want the children sent away.  Thankfully, Jesus overhears this exchange and says for the children to be brought to Him.  I thought about the number of children sermons I've done, and seen; not once have I seen the person sharing God's word with kids frown or do it angrily.  And, that's my prayer, Lord, I don't want to see that or be that person!  You always see them smile.  Some even laugh knowing that if a question is asked, no telling what sort of answer one will receive.  One child, during one of my children's sermon, before I even started said, "My daddy spanked me this morning!"  The church laughed, well, except for the Dad.  

Laughter has been called "The best medicine," and its special place in life is worth noting.  Laughter reminds us that even to the sometimes overly seriousness of life, we counter it with this expression of joy.  And those of us who have seen or experienced some difficult things, do find healing in laughter.  Laughter sometimes disarms those who mean us harm.  Laughter sometimes expresses the gratitude for an unexpected blessing.  Laughter connects us with children.  And, I believe laughter connects us with God.  It is easier to share God with those who have laughed and have been put at ease.  The late Zig Ziglar, noted speaker and author, used to tell his students that the best message would have humor every seven minutes.  

Dear one, as you reflect on your life and what may be ahead for you this week, think on Jesus and His love for life and His love for us.  Think of yourself as one of the children blessed by Him on that day.  Look at His face and try to imagine the huge smile or laugh as He picks you up and says things of God to you.  Yes, Jesus loves us that much.

PRAYER:  Lord, even in the darkest moments of life, shine Your smile on us and grant to us the calm and peace that is ours because of You.  Bless this dear reader in whatever she or he may be facing, and let the gift and healing of laughter come to them at the appropriate time.  Bless us especially when we think we cannot or should not, laugh.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day.  And laugh more today than ever!

Eradio Valverde

Sometimes We Cry

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Jesus wept.  (John 11:35)

This verse is perhaps the most famous and chosen back in the days of Sunday school and Bible memorization.  Usually our teacher would ask us to choose a verse from the Bible, memorize it and share it the next Sunday.  Some of the smarter kids would choose longer verses; the boys (usually) would giggle and shoot glances at one another and say almost laughingly, "Jesus wept."  And what does a kind, loving Sunday school teacher say or do?  "That's fine.  Thank you."  I now wondered how she felt about hearing that verse about four or five times in the same class?

Crying is the one emotion most of us try to hide.  It's the one addressed by some cultures as not being a part of true manhood, as in "Los hombres no lloran."  (Men don't cry); yet, as I have shared, I saw my dad cry and cry hard; sob might be a better word.  Crying is an expression of an emotion that cannot be held inside, and spiritually, I believe if sighing, as Romans says, is a form of prayer, crying is a sung expression of deep feelings that say to God, "I cannot handle this, I don't know what to do, but I know Who I can turn to, and that is You.  Take my hand, my heart, and just hold me."  And crying is usually the first step towards healing and coping.  Notice that the shortest verse in the Bible, according to King James' bible, contains two words; Jesus and wept.  Jesus, the symbol of salvation, hope, and all that could be good and strong in the world; and wept, which some take as a form of surrender or weakness.  Some have questioned why the Man who can restore life, cried at the end of the life of someone.  Remember, that Jesus was fully human as well as fully God, and few other verses show the connection that God has with our situation than to express His emotions because He knows how we feel.  Lazarus had died.  Jesus knew that, but as He is surrounded by people whom He loved and they are crying, Jesus cried too.  What a connection God desires to have with you and me!

I will always remember a young man with political ambitions at my university.  I would see him every morning and he would always ask, "How are you?"  He was known by almost all students as the guy who asked that question.  And what would everyone say to him?  "I'm fine."  Most were not.  The stress of college life, finances, food, friends, the big life-decisions were looming; and as fast as this guy walked and as soon as he asked the question, he would respond, "That's great!"  Many were the times my friends would say, "We can't tell him, 'Oh, man, I can't face this any longer!'" He would be almost of range and we'd hear, "That's great!"  God is not like that and though our prayers may say, "God, I'm fine," God knows better.  Look at the graphic for today.  The word says FINE, but it is made up of the truth we hold inside:  Notice the first word is "crying," followed by a list of things that can make us cry:  depressed, hurt, frustrated, disgusted, disheartened, rejected, misunderstood, bitter, and broken.  What a list, but what a life that sometimes brings these to us.  We have Jesus.  Jesus understands and He wept.  Sometimes we have to as well.  Read the words of the psalmist who wrote, "You (God) have collected all my tears in Your bottle.  You have recorded each one in your book."

PRAYER:  Loving Father, you know best what we hold inside and why sometimes we cry.  We surrender to You in hope of being held, loved, and comforted.  We know You will sustain us and guide us to a deeper life as we move forward with You.  I pray an extra special blessing on those reading this who have been crying; especially those who have hidden it from others.  Comfort them in a mighty way; in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Cry if you need to.  But cry with hope.

Eradio Valverde

Sometimes We Are Afraid

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For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1: 6-7)

Our oldest granddaughter, Saraí Evangelina, 10, is staying with us.  Last night Nellie went in and prayed with her, and I went in after.  I like to share a story with her from the Bible and she is a brilliant girl with a great grasp of all that we have shared with her.  Last week I started to share the story of David and Goliath, but grandpa had to go back to Samuel and his call.  I tried to catch up last night and I think I did too good a job of making Goliath scarier than I should have.  "If Goliath would try to get into this room, he'd have to kneel down and crawl in; and once he stood up he would hit his head on the ceiling!"  Great, grandpa.  I spoke of the power of God and how David knew how to access it and overcome all enemies that he encountered.  I prayed, turned out the light, went to bed.  This morning as I'm making my way through the mountain of boxes to my home study, I see that Saraí slept with the light on.  I felt bad.  But, you know, sometimes we are afraid. Some things scare us and make us wonder of possible outcomes.  And it is okay to tell God, "God, I'm afraid!"  And sometimes we can call on someone we trust and share with them our feelings of fear.  I have shared how two dear colleagues in ministry facing early death from cancer, both called, and both said in the same words, "I'm afraid."  

Paul knew fear, but he also knew Christ.  His life story was one death scare after another, and his end here on earth would have frightened any one.  But listen to the words he shares with young Timothy.  And I encourage you to read the entire first chapter, for in it he reminds Timothy of his family member Eunice and her faith.  The Message version for verse six says, "Keep that fire of faith ablaze" meaning remember what you received from Jesus and still claim it and use it.  At your baptism, someone laid hands on you and you were blessed by God Himself.  And when you do remember that, know this:  God does not give out the spirit of fear (cowardice); God gives out these three things; 1) A spirit of power. What words come to mind when you think of power?  Strength.  Victory.  Overcoming.2) A spirit of love. It's hard to go up against love.  Love conquers all is the saying we've heard, also, "And the greatest of these is love."  3)  Self-discipline.  The power of self-control; other versions say "a sound mind," meaning that along with power and love, it helps to keep all in perspective.

In other words, dear friend, what can possibly come against that would defeat us?  If we believe God as Paul did, the answer is nothing.

PRAYER:  Loving God, bless this dear reader in the struggles of today.  Yes, we sometimes get afraid and wonder about our finances, our health, our family, our friends; but Lord we ask that we keep burning brightly and strongly, the fire of faith that You have given us along with those three special gifts of power, love, and self-discipline.  May those bless us in ways that glorify You.  I also ask a special prayer for Rev. Bill Henderson as he recovered from unexpected surgery last night.  We pray that full strength be his and You bring him back to wholeness.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' awesome name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Live an undefeated life today.  Tackle your problems head on!

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Update:  Rev. Bill Henderson had an appendectomy last night close to 11 p.m.  He knew from early morning this was coming and he had to wait until that hour for it to be removed.  The surgery took longer than expected, but he is out and resting in his room.  Please continue to pray for Bill throughout the day.

The Hard Part of the Passage

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‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father,and a daughter against her mother,and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)

A dear reader of this devotional pointed out that most preachers ignore this part of the larger passage for this coming Sunday.  Another dear reader pointed out that I was ahead; he was right.  I don't know how that happened; goes to show what happens when humans try to share God's word.  So, I will address the "hard part of the passage."  It is confusing at first reading.  How can the Prince of Peace say He did not bring peace, but a sword?  What I believe Jesus is saying is what we should already know; it is not easy bring a disciple.  And Jesus is bring honest that sometimes we will find that in our homes there will be those opposed to a full commitment to Jesus Christ.  While a campus minister, a young man came to Jesus through our ministry.  He got excited about Jesus and went home and tried to tell his mother.  She was furious!  This young man had his own church and how could he say he now had faith?!  She forbid him to continue attending our Bible studies and events.  So, the young man would tell his mother he was going to a dance, and she okayed that.  In truth, he was coming to our events.  There have been others that have told their parents they felt a calling into ministry only to have one of them say, "Lord, forbid!"  (You can't make this stuff up!).  But, these two, of many, illustrations show exactly what Jesus was talking about.  Some people are okay with wearing the label of being a Christian, but to say that one will abandon plans for a secular career for a spiritual one, will cause some division in their home.  A dear friend, successful in law, had his wife leave him when he said God called him into ministry.  She said she was called to marry a lawyer and left him for a lawyer.  You may have your own story of how your inner peace came with a price of discomfort or worse within your own family.

Jesus says to be worthy of Him means to love Him above anyone or anything else.  And that includes fathers and mothers, sons and daughters.  And that also includes taking up the cross and following Him.  The cross will mean the insults, the criticisms, the setbacks, the denials, the rejections that come to those who follow Jesus more than they follow the world.  And is it worth it?  You know it is!  So much so, that Jesus says, "Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."  Is it worth it?  Is it worth dying and spending eternity separated from God simply because you wanted a few years of peace here?  It's a decision we all have to make.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, we trust in You and we want to follow and serve You.  Guide me to a discipleship that puts You above all else.  Help me to share Your love in a way that convinces the world that fleeting things don't last, but Your love does.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Love Jesus today in a way that shows where He stands in your life!

Eradio Valverde

Cool Water. Cool Work!

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‘Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.’ (Matthew 10:40-42)

As a superintendent, I heard all of my churches say they were welcoming churches.  And some were telling the truth.  As a regular visitor now in retired status, we enter churches virtually unknown and thus far, we have been welcomed by some.  Why is that important?  Welcoming is a part of connecting and the start of belonging.  We long to belong.  And that is a key part of worship and a key part of what we do as believers.   Jesus was big on welcoming all.  He wanted people to welcome His Father and the message the Father had sent through Him.  And in today's passage He stresses it again.  To welcome Jesus is to welcome God.   And if you welcome one who comes with a word from God, you will receive a prophet's reward, and the same for those who welcome the righteous.  And it's the little things, like giving someone a cup of cold water that seems to sum up the message of welcome.  My wife tells the story of the day she and her siblings followed their mom down the dusty back road from La Joya all the way to Rio Grande City.  The purpose of the trip was to go and surprise my father-in-law on his birthday.  They only had one car, and my mother-in-law did not drive.  They walked in the hot summer sun and came by a small place where the old woman who lived there called for them to stop and come in to her place.  She saw the little band of travelers in their greatest need; thirst, and so she offered them cool water.  She had also boiled some potatoes for lunch and offered them that meal.  It was a gesture they never forgot for they were blessed by this lady's kindness and care.

Whom will you bless this day with your kindness?  Whom will you welcome into a relationship with God?

PRAYER:  Loving Father, may I welcome all today in ways that bless You and Your message.  Help me to be one who offers the coolness of living water.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be a glass of water for someone today!

Eradio Valverde

Stay Strong in the Lord!

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Because of you I look like an idiot, I walk around ashamed to show my face. My brothers shun me like a bum off the street; My family treats me like an unwanted guest.  I love you more than I can say. Because I'm madly in love with you, They blame me for everything they dislike about you. When I poured myself out in prayer and fasting, All it got me was more contempt. When I put on a sad face, They treated me like a clown. Now drunks and gluttons Make up drinking songs about me.And me? I pray. God, it's time for a break! God, answer in love! Answer with your sure salvation!Rescue me from the swamp, Don't let me go under for good, Pull me out of the clutch of the enemy; This whirlpool is sucking me down. Don't let the swamp be my grave, the Black Hole Swallow me, its jaws clenched around me. Now answer me, God, because you love me; Let me see your great mercy full-face. Don't look the other way; your servant can't take it. I'm in trouble. Answer right now!Come close, God; get me out of here. Rescue me from this deathtrap. (Psalm 69:7-18 The Message)

We have all had those days, months, sometimes even years.  We do what we believe are the right things for the Lord.  We give God all we have, and it seems we don't progress.  We seem stuck in Neutral.  But, have you ever had a day when your words have equaled those of the psalmist?  We can't question his love for God, but he certainly is questioning God and the situation(s) he finds himself.  His faithfulness has made him, he believes, "look like an idiot."  He feels shame to the point of wanting to hide from others.  His sibling has shunned him, and the family treats him like an unwanted guest.  Yet, his love for God continues strong.  And he believes it is that love for God that has caused all this.  He still prays, and he still asks for salvation, and for God's mercy.  The model for us is to follow his continued devotion to God.  No matter the situation or circumstance, we cannot waver from God, for we know that God never wavers from us.

PRAYER:  Loving God, let me not waver in my faith and devotion to God.  No matter what I face or how hard I believe life to be getting to me, I shall love You, pray to You, and never give up on You.  And Lord, I pray for my dear brother/sister and whatever they may be going through.  See them through it and guide and bless them.  This is my prayer and I lift it up in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Try looking on the bright side today.

Eradio Valverde

Common Father. Family Feud

The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac.So she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.’ The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named after you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, ‘Do not let me look on the death of the child.’ And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, ‘What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.’ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt. (Genesis 21:8-21)

There are many things I love about the Bible, but its honesty is what really impresses me.  There is no one perfect in its pages, save God and God's Son, Jesus.  The rest of the persons portrayed in it are just like you and me.  Its message to me is that we keep striving and walking with God; we should not falter nor give up.  And from each story we should receive what it may share with us.  Take this morning's story.  You perhaps know the background story, and you may know the reality of the consequences of this story as well.  Abraham is known as the Father of the Faith by Jews and Christians alike, but he is also known as father by the Muslims.  When he and his wife Sarah had difficulty in producing an heir, Sarah has the idea of giving him Hagar his servant woman as his second wife, and she conceived and bore a son named Ismael.  And eventually, Sarah conceived and bore Abraham the son that was named Isaac.  You can imagine the fun both women had with their own sons and the relationship between them, each other, and with the other mother.  And that's what we read about today.  The sons seemed to get along, but the presence of Ismael troubled Sarah to the point of saying, "It's either her and her son, or me and my son!  What's it gonna be?"  I'm making it too nice, Sarah said basically, "Ditch the woman and her son."  And though it troubled Abe much, he did just that.  Keep in mind that Isaac plays a very important role in the story of faith for Jews and Christians, so does Ismael for the Muslims.  And keep in mind that since that day when the two families split, there has been no love lost between Jews and Arabs; a feud that continues to this day.  They share a common father and a common hatred towards each other.

God provided for the two families, even for the one who wandered the desert to the point of death; and God does the same for families who find themselves feuding with each other about other things.  As I read this passage I thought about Adam and Eve's first children and the first murder in the Bible.  I thought about the children of Isaac and the fight for birth rights.  I thought about a dear friend and his family's struggle with the last will and testament of their parents.  And I thought about myself.  "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  There are certainly no perfect families.  I jokingly say, "Jesus said, 'where two or three people are gathered, there's going to be trouble,'"  And while that is usually true, it was not what Jesus said.  Jesus said, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I will be also."  The key is to invite and keep Jesus present in all of our dealings with others and with ourselves.  The peace of Christ that we read about on Monday sometimes does seem like a sword as He said.  But onward and upward we press; sure and confident that God is with us and God will help us sort all things out.

PRAYER:  Loving Father, help us love You more and more each day.  Help us love ourselves as we should, and help us love others in the same way we love ourselves.  Bless each family represented in the reading of this devotional and prayer; help us overcome the challenges and struggles to become the people You have called us to be.  And we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Tell a family member you love them.

Eradio Valverde

Living a New Life? Free from Sin?

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So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving?  I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace - a new life in a new land! When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new grace-sovereign country. Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life - no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word.When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did. (Romans 6:1-11 The Message)

We live in Seguin, Texas now.  It is a beautiful place and so far we love it.  We've bought our own home and for the second time in our lives are home owners.  When we moved out of the district parsonage on Monday last, we spent the night in San Marcos and although I didn't voice it out loud, I thought "We're homeless.  At least for the night.  Tomorrow we close on our home and we won't be."  Silly thought, but it was true.  We bought a new home and it is the right size for two grandparents.  The parsonage was huge and we could store things; things we didn't see for seven years and now that they've come back we wondered why we brought them here to Seguin!  The rule of thumb according to the movers, "If you haven't missed it or used it for that long, why keep it?"  Easier said than done.  But, the passage above spoke to my heart.  While I miss the old house and all that goes with living in a seaside city, I can no longer live there.  It is not my house.  My home is here where I live.  Paul says the same thing about sin.  If we have lived in a "country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there?  Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good?  That is what happened in baptism.  When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace - a new life in a new land!"  We, thanks to what Jesus did for us, live a new life.  Our life, freed from sin, is a life now lived in grace and normal thinking people should not think "I want to go back to there."  Sin kills.  Why live in a land of death when Jesus has pulled us into a land of life?  

Sin is attractive.  Sin calls us by name, just like Snoopy hears chocolate chip cookies calling his name, sin knows our name and calls to us.  But Jesus knew our name when He died for us and called us by name out of sin and into grace. "Dear One, come out of sin and into my love!"  What an invitation!   How can we say no to Jesus and yes to sin?  Jesus has cancelled sin and we should have no need of it any longer.  So, yes to the questions above; you and are should be living new lives, free from sin.  The old has passed and the new has brought us to this place.

PRAYER:  Loving God, I thank You for the new life you have shared with this dear reader and me.  Help us to glorify You as we live in this new place of grace.  May sin be in our rearview mirror and may we never look back.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Explore this new city of grace!  Talk to someone about it!

Eradio Valverde

This is Where I Came In

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 ‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! ‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. ‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.  ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother,and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:24-39)

When I was growing up, movies were my life.  I believe I spent every Saturday in the Texas Theatre in Kingsville, Texas.  It did not matter what movie was showing, I knew Saturday mornings were geared for kids and for ten cents (10¢) I got in the theatre; for a nickel I bought a Coke (Cokes in those days came in, according to us, all colors and flavors as in "Give me an orange Coke!"), ten cents bought us a box of popcorn, and if we wanted to splurge, 15¢ bought us a hot dog.  Candies were usually 5¢ for Snickers or Milky Ways.  And the best part was that movies ran nonstop.  Since my friend and I usually walked to the movies at the time permission was granted by my mom or dad, we usually did not arrive at the very start of the movie.  Most times we came in towards the end; we'd see the movie end, and then stayed to see the beginning and the story that led up to how we already knew the movie ended.  If the movie was good, we would stay and see the ending again; but depending on permission, we sometimes had to say, "This is where I came in," and leave.

Today's passage from Matthew's gospel is one of those passages where Jesus is revealing how the whole thing ends, and more importantly, Who wins.  If you don't know the story, here's the spoiler:  God wins!  And because the end is not yet, life may prove challenging to us; but please wait to see how it all works out.  God's in control, God loves and cares for you, see it through!  The first part of the passage says this to me; humility before God blesses us.  Recognize that Jesus is our teacher, and He teaches great things to us.  If we learn the lessons of love and service, life becomes a breeze.  Yes, there will be some tough times; not everyone will like you, and not everyone will be on your side, but with God on our side, the ending is great!  Second lesson, don't be shy about Whose you are.  You're on the winning side of life, wear the jersey that says, "God Wins and I'm on that team!"  (there may not yet be such a shirt, but what I mean is live your life as a winner in the Lord).  Brag on the Lord.  Tell the great things God has done for you, and no matter the consequences of our witness, never give up on God.  Become a true disciple, which means you are willing and able to do all things in Christ.  Take up your cross is to identify with the challenges and trials that may come, and know that Christ is with you and know it will be Jesus Himself who will say, "This is where I come in; let me take over."  

PRAYER:  Loving God, come into my life again today.  I again have to confess my sins and doubts, but I do so in faith of Your love, grace, and mercy.  Help me be the person You have called me to be.  As I take up my cross I do so knowing that You help me bear it and mine will be the victory of life here and life there.  It is in the strong and awesome name of Jesus that I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  Wear the jersey of victory in Jesus!

Eradio Valverde

A Long Journey...

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’  (Isaiah 6:1-8)

It was in the eleventh grade that I heard the voice and nudging of the Lord into ordained ministry.  And like most, I thought God had the wrong number.  Surely, God needed the most handsome, the most popular, the most outgoing, the most talented - not me.  But, no, God was calling me.  I tried every argument I could find, and God countered each; for after all, He is God.  I finally said, "I will go on some conditions that I need to overcome.  (Basically, I was asking God to make me a new person).  And God provided. Oh, how God has provided in so many ways, too numerous to count, so many doors, and not just doors, windows!  The way to college was paid, as was the way to seminary; even a detour I took when I tried to hide in "the belly of the whale" was a brief blessing of further training and on June 13, 1976, I was ordained a Deacon in the United Methodist Church by Bishop O. Eugene Slater at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, at a session of the Río Grande Conference.  And in 1980, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bishop J. Chess Lovern ordained me an Elder in the UMC.  The most precious memory I had of that morning was I was on my knees in prayer, and our first born, Nellie Maria, awoke, saw me and rolled (her only means of movement in those days) and came and touched me and made the noises she knew would make me laugh.  I still get teary-eyed at that touch on that special day.  Later that morning, my wife's hands on me, along with what seemed the weight of the world were on my shoulders and head, I was ordained, set apart, for the ministry of Word, Sacrament, and Order.  

Today, is the day that I retired from active ministry.  After some forty-one (counted) years of professional ministry, the Río Texas Conference will recognize the vote taken yesterday by my clergy peers at the Clergy Session, where some of my dearest friends yelled, "No!" when my name was mentioned.  

I am blessed and I believe I have been faithful and fruitful.  I said Yes to God, and throughout my ministry God has allowed others to say yes to His call into ministry and into service as believers and witnesses of what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do, for us all.

What tomorrow holds is a mystery.  One thing I do know is that Nellie and I have bought a new home in Seguin, Texas, and we will have our base there for whatever God is planning for us.  We know we have much to give, and with your prayers, love, support, and invitations, we will continue to serve Him.  I resonate with what the young man said, after all those years in ministry: "One thing I do know; I was blind, but now I see." (John 9:25).  I have seen God's hand at work, I have counted many miracles as God's involvement and movement in my ministry, and I awake the new surprises and blessings of this amazing and loving God we serve.  

¡Adelante!

Eradio Valverde

Renewal of Our Spirits, Ahh!

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O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. These all look to you to give them their food in due season; when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created;and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; may the Lord rejoice in his works— who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more.Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 104:24-35b)

My prayer for Pentecost Sunday is that it would begin today! My prayer is that today be a day filled with the power of God in our lives in ways that transform us for the better. I would pray that every house who praises God be rocked with the awesomeness of God in ways that bless the neighborhoods in which these homes are. And I would pray that the Holy Spirit presence and praise be carried into our churches in ways that the cobwebs on our souls be dusted right off, and a newness of heart and joy be ours. May a routine Sunday (whatever that is/was) be gone forever. Let the prayer of the little boy who asked loudly during prayer time be fulfilled with "more smiling faces!" on us first, and our neighbors in worship next. May the dryness of our souls for the things of God be renewed with the living waters of Jesus; granting us new eyes and ears, strengthening our hands to reach out in love and service to those around us. This could be the start of a new day for Christ's church.

PRAYER: Come Holy Spirit and fill our hearts. We pray You kindle in us the fire of Your love. May Your Spirit renew us and the face of the earth. Grant us Your wisdom by Your instruction as we seek to worship and praise You, and be at work for You in the world. This is our prayer in Christ Jesus our Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Smile more today. It's contagious.

Eradio Valverde

P.S. Dear friends, a new chapter in our lives makes it necessary for ConCafe to take a vacation for a few days as we move from Corpus Christi to our new home. We thank you for your faithfulness to this ministry; your prayers, comments, thoughts, and love. We ask you pray for our safe move and for grace for the new days of new opportunities. God is faithful and we seek to be faithful and fruitful for the Lord. Love you all, Eradio & Nellie Valverde.