The Prayer of Jonah

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He prayed: "In trouble, deep trouble, I prayed to God. He answered me. From the belly of the grave I cried, 'Help!' You heard my cry. You threw me into ocean's depths, into a watery grave, With ocean waves, ocean breakers crashing over me.  I said, 'I've been thrown away, thrown out, out of your sight. I'll never again lay eyes on your Holy Temple.'  Ocean gripped me by the throat. The ancient Abyss grabbed me and held tight. My head was all tangled in seaweed  at the bottom of the sea where the mountains take root. I was as far down as a body can go, and the gates were slamming shut behind me forever - Yet you pulled me up from that grave alive, O God, my God!  When my life was slipping away, I remembered God, And my prayer got through to you, made it all the way to your Holy Temple.  Those who worship hollow gods, god-frauds, walk away from their only true love.  But I'm worshiping you, God, calling out in thanksgiving! And I'll do what I promised I'd do! Salvation belongs to God!" (Jonah 2:2-9 The Message)

Happy Friday!  Make it a great day, dear friend!

Three days in the belly of the whale is pretty much like being in the grave for three days; or a hospital bed or angry at your spouse, or frustrated with your boss or employees.  Jonah took advantage of those days to reflect, think, pray, maybe use some un-Jewish words; but at the end of the adventure that I'm sure he told his grandkids, he prayed this powerful prayer.  This is a modern version of the prayer found in older versions of the Bible, but its point is still there: God can save us, and does, when we cry out to Him.  And as a response, we should live a life that gives thanks every day for what God took us from and to.

Let's look at the prayer in closer detail.  Jonah says that he was "In trouble, deep trouble," and rather than thinking he could find answers with any number of other distractions or pick-me-ups, he prayed to the Lord God.  And God answered him.  "From the belly of the grave I cried, 'Help!'  You heard my cry."  Jonah knew that God was with him when the whale got close to the shore and vomits him onto the shore.  Using great descriptions of the sea and all that is found in it, Jonah recalls the certainty of death coming to him, yet, God spared his life.  Then, a call to those who do seek answers in the wrong places, "walk away from 'hollow gods, god-frauds;' and find answers in the Lord.

Jonah's attitude changed from one of fear and certainty of death, to a knowledge that God was with him, and leading him to a life of worship and praise.  He also resolves to live a life of thanksgiving, and commitment; vowing to pay and do all he had vowed to do.  Then his cry is "Salvation belong to God!"

What grave has a hold on you?  Is it resentment or anger? Doubt and confusion?  Sadness and despair?  Know this; there is no grave strong enough, deep enough, or scary enough that can keep you imprisoned for long; once you cry out to the Lord, He will answer and out of that grave you will come!  Do you believe this?

PRAYER:  Awesome God; You have the power to break the chains of sin and the graves that come with sin.  Bless this dear reader and me, seek You always, but especially when we find ourselves in the bounds and chains of sin.  Lift us from whatever grave we find ourselves to the place of praise.  Make my life be one of thanksgiving and praise, and may all hear me when I say that in You we find salvation!  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Live a life that others want to copy!

Eradio Valverde

Sharing in the Work of God

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The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.’ Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, ‘Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favour in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child”, to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, “Give us meat to eat!” I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me.If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favour in your sight—and do not let me see my misery.’ So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their place there with you. So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again. Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them!’ But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!’ (Numbers 11: 4-6, 10-16, 24-29)

Happy Wednesday!  May mid-week excitement be yours as you start today, dear Friend!  My prayer is for the day to be filled with joys and blessings, and as we receive them, let us share them with others.  Be especially on the lookout for those who might show signs of sadness or despair; offer a word of encouragement and hope.  I thank you for praying for Kenneth Leonhardt, whose surgery went very well yesterday.  He is home and restricted from doing too much; pray for him as he is a very active person and recovery will involve down time and quiet time.  Pray for this old man, as I prepare to preach both services in Gonzales on the finale of the Lord's Prayer.  If you're in the area, stop in and hear!  Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.

The Bible contains true stories that sometimes become our stories.  Can you name a household where there has not been some complaining?  Can you name a workplace where a coworker has not complained about something?  Can you name a church where everyone is happy and no one complains about a thing?  Well, you begin to understand the pastoral leadership of Moses.  His church was not happy.  Though they were free from the bondage of slavery, they kept looking back and wishing they were there instead of here.  The delicate bread offered to them by God was not what they wanted any longer.  They were so fed up of quail they didn't even mention it.  They sound like most of us when we are on a diet or exercise regime!  And, having to hear that gets to be a bit tedious even for a saintly man like Moses.  Moses would go directly to God and share their complaints with God, but this time he shares some of his own.  Even asking that God go ahead and just take him home right then and there.  God would not hear that, instead God asks Moses to bring 70 of the true elders; servants and officers among the people, and have them come to the tent where I will deal with them.  Once gathered, God took some of the Spirit that was in Moses and shared it with those 70; and once they had this, they began to prophesy, that is, to share God's word among each other and all who would hear them.  And that was the only time they had this gift.  But, as it always happens, two of the elders missed the meeting, they still received the spirit, and shared God's word among the people and not in the tent.  The sixty-eight spoke to each other the truth about the situation and they understood the big picture that God shared with them; these two shared it with those in the camp.  Yet, leave it to Joshua, not yet an elder, nevertheless a servant, to get upset about what those two were doing; "Moses!  Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!"  (Can't you hear that yell?  Just like, "Mom!  Dad!  My little brother is not behaving!  Come spank them!  Or, put them in time out!!")

Moses responds just like Jesus did in Monday's gospel lesson.  "Would that all of the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His spirit on them!"  The disciples had complained to Jesus that someone not from their ranks was doing their work in driving out demons.  And Moses' response is that it would be so nice to have others doing and sharing in the work of the Lord.  Imagine a family where all share in all the household tasks.  Imagine a work place where all the workers do what is expected of them.  Imagine a church where all want to share in God's work, telling and teaching others about the Lord...

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, pour out Your Spirit again; let it fall afresh on me to guide me and strengthen me to be the servant You have called me to be.  Let me stop waiting on others to do what I can easily do.  And let me share positive, encouraging words when those are me are just complaining.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' powerful name, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be part of the solution today!  Smile and say something nice!

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Draw Near to God, and God will Draw Near to You!

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Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covetsomething and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 3:13 - 4:3, 7-8a)

Happy Tuesday to you, dear Friend!  My prayer is that this be a day filled with God-opportunities to better your life and help better the life of someone near to you.  I thank you for your prayers yesterday for Martha Jo Whitt, whose surgery was postponed until next Monday.  Today, Mr. Kenneth Leonhardt undergoes surgery in San Antonio; pray for a successful surgery.  We celebrate that Emily Currie returned home from ICU two days earlier than expected!  That's an answered prayer!  Also, pray for Daryl and Betsy Pieprzica-Boudreaux, who lost their baby girl Adalita.  May the Lord comfort and strengthen them is our prayer. Betsy is a friend of Mrs. Kathy Lester from FUMC Gonzales.  Pray for each other; pray for yourselves!

The television show of the 70's was Dallas.  The first script was based on Cain and Abel and mushroomed into what this very passage from James warns against!  The writers may have used this passage and said, "If the Bible says not to do this, then J.R. do exactly that!"  Kids, if you don't remember this tv show ask grandma and grandpa.  The show was very crucial to our marriage.  Nellie and I were newlyweds and we moved to an area near the opening scenes of the show and whenever Nellie had to return home from some place I would say, "Remember the two bank towers.  We live near there."  Actually, I said it in español.  And what got me thinking about the show was the recent Texas Monthly is about the 40th anniversary of the show.  Everything about the show was wrong. Dallas was not a cattle nor oil city; it was insurance.  And most people in Dallas at that time did not wear cowboy boots and hats; both of those scenarios were straight from Houston.  The tv show changed all that.  

The passage might also seem like the script some people, ourselves included at times, try to live by, and I'm not talking necessarily about the good parts.  Our human nature is geared to self-preservation and sometimes we will do almost anything to protect ourselves and to provide for our families.  A pastor on Sunday talked about his infant son who found his way to the chocolate chips momma had been saving for cookies.  The pastor found his son's face covered in gooey chocolate and he asked him if he had eaten any of the chips, and the baby replied, No!  The pastor told the congregation that neither he nor his wife taught that baby how to lie, but it was in there as part of his/our nature.  Friends, the Bible exists to allow God to lift us up out of the pits we sometimes dig or wallow in; God's grace is sufficient, God's power is strong enough to lift us way out of that pit of death and place us right on the path that leads to life in abundance.  

The closing part of the passage is so true, "You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get your pleasures."  The remedy?  "Submit yourselves there to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. (Here's something along what we said yesterday:) Cleanse your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts..."  It's a matter of choice and we should choose God-things over our own selfish things.  To be unable to decide is the very last word of today's passage, double-minded.  Our single focus should be on the Lord and His will; everything else will fall into place.

PRAYER:  Loving God, work in my life to make me the person I was called to be.  Bless me into focusing solely on You and Your will for me.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Choose life today!  Abundant life!

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Master Your Mind & You'll Master Your Life

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John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.  ‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell., And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. ‘For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’ (Mark 9:38-50)

Good Monday to you, dear Friend!  I pray you had a wonderful weekend and you have been renewed, refreshed, and recharged for this week.  I also pray that time spent with God through this devotional would speak to your heart and spirit.  As we pray, please pray for Ms. Martha Jo Witt, having knee replacement surgery this morning here in Seguin.  Prayers for 4 year old Emily Currie, who is in ICU here in Seguin as well.  Prayers for Rev. Virgilio Vasquez Garza undergoing another eye surgery in San Antonio.  Prayer for Mr. Bob Clark who was in ER after church yesterday.  Pray for one another and pray for yourselves!

Today's passage comes from the Gospel of Mark.  It is a quiet time in Capernaum between Jesus and His disciples.  As they are discussing things, John asks about a man, not a disciple, who was casting out demons in Jesus' name.  As the cartoon for this morning shows, it was not about their credentials, for the disciples were a jealous group; Jesus says that whoever uses His name for good is an ally not an enemy.  And further stresses that even small acts of love and generosity done in His name count for good in the Kingdom of God.  The Message versions says, "God will take notice."  And then the topic switches to the area of temptation.  Pastor Matt yesterday preached a marvelous sermon on that part of the Lord's Prayer where we say, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."  Jesus here stresses the importance of mastering our minds.  He begins with the hand.  "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut if off."  This was figurative language.  Jesus does not want us to cut off our hands; He wants us to master our mind.  The desire may be to take something that is not yours; it is not the hand thinking on its own, "Hmm, this looks good; I'll take it and make it mine!"  It's your mind telling your hand to take it.  Master your mind to respect the property of others.  The same with the eye.  The eye may see something, and the thought processes within our mind may give us a perspective that is not holy or healthy.  Jesus said, "And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out."  Again, it is our ability to center our focus on the divine and the holy and thus bless our lives by thinking holy thoughts and living holy lives.  And this is followed up with Jesus' warning about hell; "where the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched."  And in a passing reference to a longer discourse in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about salt and the role salt played in ovens in His day.  Not only did salt give flavor to food, it was used to line the ovens as insulation spreading more evenly the heat needed to bake and cook things.  The call is for us to be the positive flavor in life as well as insulation against evil in the lives of others.  The last use of salt was for persevering things; we are called to preserve the holy and righteousness of God.

What we feed our mind usually determines the kind of mind we will have.  A steady, long diet of Facebook or Instagram or any number of addictive sites on our phones, tablets or computers will not usually serve a good purpose.  Many are comparing their lives to others as they see their friends on Instagram and so feel less than their friends and start going to great lengths to better themselves or their families just to compete.  A great video on RightNow Media (that our church made available to our members and your church can as well!) is about a woman whose best friend always have the best pictures of her family together, sharing meals, having great fun in their back yard, etc.  And the video then shows the behind the scenes reality of that "perfect family."  The photos do not share the gripes and comments about having to pose for the family picture and while the delicious, several course meal is being served, everyone is saying, "We'd rather have pizza!" which is why the first woman was sad because she and her family were having pizza.

Strive to occupy your time and mind in the things of God.  Seek to better your spirit and your life will be so much better blessed.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, bless my life with balance.  I seek to be the person You would have me be.  I thank You for what I have, especially loved ones and family; let me enjoy them and be a blessing to them.  Guide me to maturity in You and towards a healthy and blessed mind that blesses my life and those around me.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the lord!  For every minutes you spend on your phone reading FB or what have you, spend equal time in God's word or listening to Christian music!  You'll be amazed at the blessings!

Eradio Valverde

The Isaiah Prayer (Prayers from The Bible)

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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)

Happy Friday, dear Friend!  I pray the Lord richly bless you and yours on this final work day of the week or day off, or just another day; make it a special day by praying for the needs in your church's bulletin's prayer list.  If you don't have one, one will be made available this Sunday in your church!  (How's that for a gentle reminder to be in worship this weekend? ;))

This passage teaches a lot about prayer.  For the last few Fridays we have been examining prayers from the Bible and how they can bless our own prayer life.  This one is awesome as it shows the intent of prayer:  We are to go right before the throne of God as we share with God our adoration, our confession, our thankfulness, and our supplications.  Those are the basic components of a good prayer:  A.C.T.S. is one way to remember that.  The adoration part is our personal worship as we seek to lift God's name high in our lives and in the lives of those around us.  As the prophet Isaiah prayed during a most difficult time in his life and the life of the nation, he was ushered into God's presence.  He saw the Lord!  We should see Jesus as we pray in His name.  Which is why I believe Jesus asked that we find a place where we could pray.  The model Jesus gave us was that He always found a secluded spot where He could be alone in His time of prayer.  We should do that as often as we can.

The worship of God in Isaiah' prayer allowed him to hear a worship song, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory."  Amen. Our prayer can include our singing praises to God, declaring as the prophet did, that God is all around us and great is His glory.  Taking time to pray will expose us to that glory.

Isaiah took this time of prayer to confess.  "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!"  Wow.  Now, that's a confession!  We too, should confess our sins to the Lord in our prayers.  What is awesome that during this very prayer, an angel, a "seraph" cleansed the prophet of his sins, as God does when we confess to Him.

Isaiah's thanksgiving and supplication merged into one in the powerful part of the closing of this prayer time.  God asks, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"  And Isaiah said, as many of us have said to Him, "Here am I; send me!"

When Isaiah said amen, God revealed to him all that needed to be done, as usually happens to us when we pray with expectant and worshipful hearts; God will say, "Now my child, this is what you need to do for me..." and our response should be, "With Thy help, O Lord," and then we go to be faithful and fruitful.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, lead me into Your presence as I pray now and later today.  Open my eyes to see Your glory all around me.  Hear my private confession of my sins; remove them and make me clean.  Receive my thankfulness for all You have provided for me.  And remember those for whom I am praying; bring comfort to the hurting, healing to the sick, hope to the hopeless, and strength to the weak.  Use me and my hands, legs, and arms to bless You and this I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be an answered prayer for someone today!

Eradio Valverde Prayers for me as I prepare to preach on the 30th of this month on the closing part of the Lord's prayer.  This Sunday, Pastor Matt Pennington brings us to the rest of Jesus' prayer, so pray for him.  This all happens at First UMC in Gonzales, Texas.  Pray for your pastor (s) and your church!  Pray for one another, and certainly pray for yourself!

God is My Helper!

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Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. For the insolent have risen against me the ruthless seek my life; they do not set God before them. But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life. He will repay my enemies for their evil.  In your faithfulness, put an end to them. With a freewill-offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. (Psalm 54)

Gracious and tremendous Thursday blessings to you, dear Friend!  May this be a day of amazement and wonder of how awesome you find God to be in your life.  May it be God's hands you see helping and blessing you as you seek to bless God and God's people today.  I ask you please add to your prayers, the family of Mr. Salomon Marroquin, who died yesterday.  Solomon was a dear, sweet man, who was very active in my church El Mesias UMC in Mission, Texas.  He was indeed a Renaissance man; he had been in some Hollywood movies, helped bring a book to life as a movie set in the Valley; wrote a book about the life of Sgt. Freddy Gonzalez, a Vietnam hero who died saving his troops; and served as the Office Manager for Congressman Kika de La Garza, longtime congressman from Mission, Texas.  I shared with my class, how Mr. Marroquin was the true power of the congressman in our area.  With his stage and movie experiences, he had made several beautiful sets for our Christmas play, and it was he who made "Roman," the Roman solider whose armor was used in many a sermon.  I thank God for his life and ask God's comfort be with Blanca, his wife, and Melinda his daughter.  Thank you for your prayers.  Pray for one another, pray for yourselves.

Imagine having to hide from your enemy.  An enemy with a mighty army and with a strong desire to kill you!  Such was the motivation behind David's writing this psalm.  He was trying to save his life by hiding from King Saul.  Saul wanted his son to be king, and he himself was not ready to leave his throne as King of Israel; but God had made it clear that his ruling days were over, and that David was the anointed king and replacement for him.  Saul's only thought was to change the course of his history by killing David.  

The words are those of one truly seek to be kept alive; and David knew that only in God could he trust.  He prays and asks that the words of his prayer be that which bring his protection.  David knew that the main reason Saul was losing his throne was because God no longer occupied a place in Saul's heart; but David proclaims as should we, "God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life."  Such a great faith in God is what we need and we need to share with all who will listen that God has blessed us and we would not be where we are today had it not been for God being our strong helper and upholder of our lives.  God blesses us and takes care of those who seek harm against us.  We can join David's song as we too sing, "God has delivered me from every trouble and my eye has looked in triumph on those who came against me."

We may not have true, physical enemies, but even if we did, God is still our helper.  If our enemy is fear, God can defeat fear with trust and hope.  If our enemy is illness, we can cry out to God, for God is not only our helper, but also our healer.  If our enemy is this or that, God is the counter to whatever is afflicting us.  Many a day we have found a coin on the ground and the first thing that either Nellie or I say, is what is written on American currency, "In God We Trust."  And we say it loud and claim that penny as a blessing.

Is God your trust?

PRAYER:  Loving Father, in You we find our hope and joy.  Even in the face of many enemies, we find help in You.  Lord, what a wonderful word is upholder; be our upholder of my life.  Pick me up when I am down, and gently place me where I need to be when I find myself not where it is that You would want me.  Let me be a blessing to all through You.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Maybe you can be an upholder for someone today and then point to God and say, "He's the one upholding you!"

Eradio Valverde

Committed to God at Any Cost

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It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew; then you showed me their evil deeds. But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. And I did not know it was against me that they devised schemes, saying, ‘Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!’ But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause. (Jeremiah 11:18-20)

Wonderful Wednesday to you, dear Friend! As you spend time in prayer, please lift up the Alexander family as their baby daughter, Embree, died yesterday morning. May God's comfort be with Coach Kyle and his wife, Caitrin. As always, please pray for one another, even those you don't know personally - God knows them and God understands their need better than us; pray also for your needs. Prayer is a gift that is best used!

The Old Testament prophets wrote and experienced things that perhaps they knew it was about them, but sensed that it may have been bigger than them, and in their quest to be faithful to God, they wrote and lived what God expected. This passage goes hand in hand with all the scriptures tied to the gospel lesson, that Jesus came for a purpose to this world and the final purpose was to suffer death for our sake. The reaction the prophet Jeremiah had to his ministry by scoffers was noted above. Those who cared not about God and only themselves, saw the best way to shut him up was to have him killed. Sound familiar to Jesus? Of course it does. God gave Jeremiah the ability to sense that he was up against evil men who did evil deeds. And his reaction was to be "like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter." He had to confess he did not know at first that it was he who was to be sacrificed in his detractor's saying, "Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!" We still know the name of Jeremiah. The name of his enemies have become like dust, blown away by the wind.

Jesus remains committed to you and your life. He loved you so much He died for you, and greater still He sent His Holy Spirit to be with you to guide and comfort you. What do we offer in return for that? Are we committed to God at any cost like Jeremiah and Jesus? Or, are we ready to run from trouble when we hear of it? I believe our call is to remain faithful and fruitful to all that God may have in store for us. If it involves some trouble or suffering, it's not for all eternity, for God has a way to lift us up and away from that and to restore us. That is the beauty of our faith!

PRAYER: Loving Father, bless this dear reader in whatever stage of life they may find themselves. Your love, comfort, and strength are needed, and You graciously provide it, do so again and again according to our needs. Strengthen our commitment to You, for we want to be faithful and fruitful in all things. And this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show your commitment to God in ways that bless Him today!

Eradio Valverde

TOMORROW THE CAMPAIGN ENDS to have your very own faith shirt from this ministry. Click on this link if you've not yet bought a conversation starter about your faith!

Draw Near to God, Flee from the Devil

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Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covetsomething and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 3: 13 - 4:3, 7-8a)

Happy and Blessed Tuesday, Friend!  This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! What a wonderful verse to get our day full charged and ready to do God's will!

If I had to choose just a verse or two of this passage, it would be 7-8, or the very last two; but to do justice to the passage recommended for this coming Sunday as the Epistle reading (Letters), let's see what it says.  At first reading I thought back to my 7th grade year.  It started quite dramatic.  I was living in Kingsville and I came down with pneumonia.  In those ancient days that required a lengthy hospital stay and I was sent to a hospital in Corpus Christi.  I spent two weeks there and I missed the beginning of my junior high school experience!  I knew that since I had been in band since 5th grade, and I had the same band director in elementary school as I would in junior high, I had to try out.  Not only would I have to try out and be assigned a "chair," I would have to learn how to march; which in South Texas is very important part of being in band.  One does not join the band to simply sit and play; we entertain half-time shows with our marching skill and precision.  And one does not learn to march from a hospital bed.  When the ordeal of blood draws and constant injections and breathing exercises, I was sent home.  I went to school about a week or two late.  My agreement with the band director had been that if I gave up playing the cornet, and took up the baritone, I would be allowed to be in the band.  So, I was in.  But since I had missed marching practice, I would have to sit in the bleachers while my band marched.  I was the third chair.  Don't get excited, there were only three baritone players.  Joaquin, a 9th grader was first chair and he was awesome.  Some red-headed Chicano kid was second-chair and he was the epitome of an angry runner-up.  He despised me for having come into his band without trying out.  And he would taunt me daily; "Oh, you're Mr. B's favorite, better watch out Joaquin, you're on your way out, wonder boy here is going to take your place."  Sigh.  Joaquin was the living version of a calm and peaceful young man, truly one who showed "by (his) good life that (his) works were done with gentleness born of wisdom."  Red was the next verse incarnate; "Bitter envy and selfish ambition."  I was trying to be more like Joaquin; I liked making friends not picking fights.

I left not long afterwards to Houston. I never learned how to march, but I was in a junior high band that played in the Astrodome the very year it opened!  Our debut was the night of what was for a long time, the longest game on record; 24 or 25 innings, Astros versus the New York Mets.  The catcher for the Mets that night would later become a church member of mine and still a dear friend, Mr. Jerry Grote, who inspired the spring camp that 1969 would be their year, and it was; World Series Champs!  Jerry is another verse one person.

The passage ends with some powerful words that we can apply to our lives.  First, rid ourselves of the bitter envy and selfish ambitions we might have; nothing is truly gained from living that sort of a life.  We are called to rise above that, to be peaceful, gentle, merciful souls, full of fruits or evidence of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God that produces a rich harvest of good and righteousness in our midst.  And if we feel we don't have it, we ask for it, and God will give it to us.  And the clincher: Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from us.  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to us.  Cleanse your hands (actions), purify your hearts, and solely think on God and God's righteousness and we will be just fine.  The Message version says, "Yell a loud no to the devil and he will run.  Whisper a quiet yes and God will come closer to us."  Amen.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, we are in Your hands.  We need You.  We need You to mold us and make us to be like You.  We want to be gentle and wise; we want bitter envy and selfish ambitions to be driven out of us. We want this prayer to be todays' invitation for You to draw near to us; and while we're at it, let me say NO to he who seeks to derail my life; Devil, you have no business in my life or in the life of my loved ones, so get!  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Live a life that says Yes to God and No to you-know-who.

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Requests:  Please pray for David Bivins’ dad Jerry.  Jerry fell and is at the hospital where they’re running some tests.  Please pray for healing and that he is able to regain his strength. Please pray for Gonzales High School Coach Kyle Alexander, his wife Caitrin and their daughter Embree who is still on hospice and getting close to her home in Heaven. Please pray for Stanley Hahn, Jr. who will be starting chemo and radiation this week for tongue cancer. For the family of Ben Del Pozo, who died yesterday after 37 years as a quadriplegic.  He saw his son married in his hospital room the day prior to his death.  Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.

Be Servant of All

Image from willvaus.blogspot.com

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.  Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’ (Mark 9:30-39)

It's Monday and work week begins for most of us, dear Friend!  Ready or not, work awaits.  May the joy of the Lord be our strength as we seek to serve and work for Him!  May our time spent in prayer and study bless us to be a blessing to others.

The time Jesus spent teaching the disciples at times seemed like it wasn't working or sinking in.  Jesus sought to have time alone with them so they could fully understand the serious and very sacred nature of their calling.  And the "heavy stuff" dealt with His death and resurrection.  Evidence the silence when Jesus asked them what they were talking about as they walked through Galilee and arrived in Capernaum.  They never said, but Jesus knew; they were talking about who among them was the greatest.  Imagine Jesus' heart!  Here He is talking about the greatest sacrifice the world would ever know and they want to know who among them was the greatest.  Really, they were talking about seating arrangements in the hall of government; remember even the mother of two of them got involved pleading for Jesus to make her boys sit on His right and one on the left?  They would realize later that just being in Jesus' company was the greatest blessing they could ask for.  They were eyewitnesses to the greatest miracles, listeners to the greatest sermons, and recipients of the greatest love they had ever known - yet, they wanted more for themselves.  Sound like us sometimes, does it not?  Jesus then reveals the plan:  The first will be last, and the last will be first.  "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant to all."  Then to illustrate His point, Jesus takes a little child and says, "Whoever welcomes one such child in My name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the One who sent me."  BOOM!

The children of that time were really not significant beyond their homes.  These twelve men who had probably left their children home with their mothers to follow Jesus at times seem too caught up with trying to make sense of everything to notice and interact with kids; now Jesus is embracing one and telling them to welcome children in His name; and to do that means that they have welcomed the One (God) who sent Jesus!

Jesus wants us all to be servants of all.  That means putting the interest and wellbeing of others way ahead of our own.  Instead of being concerned about seating arrangements and where we will sit, Jesus wants us involved in the serving; the kind that asks, "Have you been served?  Have you received some food?  Can I bring you anything else?"  That is discipleship.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, sometimes, like Peter, Andrew, James, and John and all the rest, I get it so wrong.  I put myself ahead of others, worried about where I will sit and be served.  I understand now it is about making sure others have a place to sit; that they feel welcome, and that their needs are addressed.  Forgive me those times, and grant me wisdom to serve.  And forbid that I should be to busy to notice and welcome children.  This I pray in Thy name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day!  Put on an apron and serve someone!

Eradio Valverde

A Prayer for Revival & Renewal

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God, I've heard what our ancestors say about you, and I'm stopped in my tracks, down on my knees. Do among us what you did among them. Work among us as you worked among them. And as you bring judgment, as you surely must, remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2 The Message)

Happy and Blessed Friday, dear Friend!  I pray God's mercy be upon us as we wind down the work week and prepare to have time to relax, refresh, and renew ourselves.  And that comes through prayer.  I ask that we pray for those in the paths of storms.  May God bless and protect all who are in harm's way.

Many have been the time we have longed for the "good ole days" when it comes to the Church.  Many of us of a certain age remember full houses on Sunday morning, our Sunday school classrooms were brimming with kids, and we wonder just what has happened?  Some churches are full, thank God; but the average church is not.  Maybe that's what's wrong?  Being average?  I have reached the point that I pray not for a full house, but for my heart to be full of love and joy for God has, is, and will do, in me, you, and His Church.  I truly believe we serve a God of revival and renewal.  Just like our lawn went from a nice shade of dry brown, the recent rains have once again reminded me that grass should be green!  

Can you imagine what Habakkuk was praying for? It was many years ago, in this very town, on the steps of the church during a youth retreat, a young Rev. Rudolfo Barrera was assigned to the high school class to do a presentation on this book.  I remember he said, "The best way to remember the name of this book is to think, 'Have a Coke!'"  And that stayed with me to this day.  The summary of this book; "It was sinfulness as usual." The people of God were oppressing the poor, offering up worship and sacrifices to idols,  ignoring God's law --  "just another night in the big city."  The first two chapters of this tiny book are a dialog between the prophet and God.  By the time we get to chapter three, the prophet is praying this simple but necessary prayer:  Lord, as I've heard about what You did among my ancestors, I stop in my tracks and kneel before You.  Would you do again what you did with my great, great-grandparents?  Would you bless us, like they were blessed?  Would you forgive us, like your forgave them?  Would healing and wholeness be possible among such a sinful people?  And when we reach the point of departure from this life, would You welcome us in to Your presence with mercy?

The cry is for revival and renewal.  The desire is to know God better in a way that restores Him to His right place in our lives and in our society.  And if only one person lifts up this prayer, will God listen?  The answer is yes, certainly so.  And if you, dear reader, would pray a prayer along these lines, would it bless more than us?  Again, yes.  As long as there are people praying for one another, God is certainly at work among us.  If our prayer is for revival, God will revive us; and if our prayer is for renewal, then yes, God will bring a newness to our faith.  That is hope.  That is our hope.  That is our active, living faith, seeking to know and to get others to know the God that loves us.  And as long as we continue to pray in such a way, that hope will grow and the blessings will be seen.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, shower us with Your Spirit in ways that bring us renewed hope, and stronger faith.  We pray for these to be "The good ole days."  Help us to love one another, to work with one another, and to bring more into the fold as Your sheep.  This we pray in faith in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be a beacon of hope to someone today!

Eradio Valverde

PS  Some time ago we studied Those Who Said Yes to Jesus and a lot of what I shared was inspired and blessed by a book called, "The Master's Men" by William Barclay.  It's a powerful little book and you can get a copy by clicking on this link.   THE MASTERS MEN

Put On Your Praise Attitude! Now!

Image from fieldsofweeds.blogspot.com

The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me.Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19)

Happy Thursday to you dear Friend!  I pray this finds you well and ready to praise the Lord!  For some reason, this psalm just touched me the right way.  I grabbed from it a new understanding that I hadn't before; but that's the Bible for you!  You can read a passage that you read some time ago, and new and wonderful things will jump out at you and you end up saying, "Wow!"  Let's get into that WOW of God right now!  As you pray this morning, pray for the needs of the people in the wake of hurricanes and storms.  May God's protection be with them all.  We pray that the power of the hurricanes diminish before hitting land and that damage be minimal and the loss of life not happen at all.  Thank you for your prayers for Mrs. Joyce Harris, her surgery went well and she should be in the hospital until Saturday.  Ms. Jo Ann Keck will be leaving her rehab facility tomorrow, Lord willing.  The graveside for Ms. Emily Neuse was a sad occasion, but a blessing to the family.  Thank you for sharing your prayers with others.  Pray for one another and pray for yourselves.

There is a young man on YouTube who travels the world for food.  He is sponsored by many viewers and supports his young family of his wife and son, by writing e-books on the places he's visited and enjoyed.  What sells him on the videos is his wow of food.  His facial expressions as he takes the first bite of what usually appears as fantastic food; almost a trademark move on his part, and then his first word of that bite, if he really loves the food is, "Wow!"  I had not noticed that until yesterday when Nellie walked in and he was enjoying some Mexican food in Los Angeles, and she says, "Wow" as he said it as well.  It made me laugh, but realized, that's how that boy does it.  He knows how to capture your attention and then the punctuation point is his Wow!  

The Bible says in the Psalms, "Taste and see that the Lord is good!"  That should give us a clue that there is wow to be found in the words of God.  This psalm begins with the psalmist's wow of creation.  I just walked out with our daughter as she drove off to work and I stared at the clouds and know that all of that wow is the work of God.  The psalmist tries to explain his wow in God's wow, by saying there is speech and knowledge and then "there is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."  If we listen, if we observe, we will be wowed by what God does every single moment in His creation.   The psalmist compares the sun to a bridegroom on his honeymoon; a strong man rejuvenated by his love for his bride, able and willing to run its course throughout the day.  This beauty of creation along with the word of God together serve a wonderful purpose; to bless us into blessing others, while our being obedient to God and God's expectations of us.  This leads to a time of confession and renewal and a wonderful prayer for each day; "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."

PRAYER:  Loving Father, bring back the wow I may have lost because of the busyness that I sometimes hide in.  Let me hear beyond the noise of life the true words of full life in the wind, the songs of the birds, the moving of the clouds and the warmth of the sun.  Let me be renewed and refreshed in the reading of Your precious word and the prayers of life that I lift up to You.  And I ask that indeed, may my mouth speak words acceptable to You; may my heart bring forth thoughts of joyful life; for You are indeed the rock which holds me steady and through You I have received redemption.  In Christ Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Shine the brightness of the Son in your smile today!

Eradio Valverde

Seek Wisdom from the Lord

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Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: ‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded, and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you, when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices. For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.’ (Proverbs 1:20-33)

A good and wonderful Wednesday to you, dear Friend!  May our time in the Lord bring us the wisdom we need to face each day's opportunities and blessings.  May our wisdom expand our knowledge and our boundaries to seek to serve the Lord in new and wondrous ways.  As we pray, pray for wisdom, for it is found in the Lord God.  As we pray, let us pray for the family of Emily Neuse, who passed away in her sleep two nights ago.  May God's comfort be with her family.  Prayers for Ms. Joyce Harris who undergoes back surgery this morning in San Antonio.  May the surgery bring her healing and relief from pain is our prayer. And for Ms. Jo Ann Keck, who underwent surgery and is now in rehabilitation at The Heights facility in Gonzales.

If we are to believe our eyes, wisdom comes from a small screen that almost everyone seems to be glued to these days.  At least, that's the appearance we seem to give others as we constantly check our phones.  "Is there a new text?"  "Has someone responded to my post?"  Yes, some do check for prayer concerns and updates; but imagine if we were to spend as much time with our Bibles as we do our phones how much wiser we would be?  Yes, all who read this are reading it from a screen, but read the opening verses of today's passage again.  Wisdom desires to be found!  And as Solomon writes this, he makes wisdom take female form.  "She raises her voice" in the city squares.  "At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks..."  And her message is the same:  Take me and be wise or ignore me and be foolish. She has much to teach us; while scoffers are content with what they know yet are shocked when their folly brings them failure and despair.  Now is the time to seek wisdom while we still can; the day may soon come when wisdom will not be found.  In all of this, the fear of the Lord should be our desire; to love God in a respectful and awesome way, learning from Him all that we need to be better people.

Please don't get me wrong, we do need our phones but interesting to note that one verse that says, "Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices."  Devices is an interesting, timeless word.  Perhaps today is a good day to look around, listen to people, re-read the passage for today and to make our prayer be, "Lord, grant me Your wisdom so that I may be who You want me to be."

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of wisdom.  It comes from You and I seek to have it.  Let me seek more wisdom in Your word and in my prayers as I listen to You after I say amen.  There is much to learn and in that will come the answers that I seek and the service that I should share.  I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Put down the device long enough to be wise!

Eradio Valverde

Tame Your Tongue!

Image from livingwatercorona.com

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. (James 3:1-12)

Happy and Blessed Tuesday, Friend!  May this time spent in prayer and thought and scripture bless you in a wonderful way is my prayer for you and yours. I want us to pray for some important matters on this day.  First, a prayer of remembrance for the many people who died on this day on 9/11.  Ask God's comfort be on the loved ones who still remember and ache the loss of these precious lives.  Pray that God would change the hearts of those seeking to harm others, especially in the name of religion!  Also, I got word yesterday that an 11 year old girl hanged herself in Mason, Texas.  Our daughter who works in a high school said there is a game where hanging is a part of that game.  Dear ones, please keep your ears open to the little ones around you!  If you hear anything that tells of a deep hurt or desire to do something to themselves, please show some care and affection for them.  I also learned yesterday that a 7 year old in another country, organized a march with other kids asking that "parents please put your phones down and pay attention to us!"  I don't think I need to say more about that... 

Through the years I have been fascinated and drawn to shows where animals show off.  By that I mean, someone took time to train animals you would never dream could be trained, to do some amazing things.  For years, the State Fair of Texas had a bird show that was world-class.  Every chance we had to visit the fair, we made sure to sit for that awesome show.  The Texas State Aquarium has shows with dolphins and penguins, and mice; all showing they can be tamed.  And who doesn't wait for a baby's first words?  Moms want baby to say, Mama; and Dads, well, we want baby to say DaDa.  And we laugh as baby shapes sentences together and we love them.  My favorite is, "I want to go to there."  We use that when we see an ad for a cruise or Disney.  Many are in shock when baby says something they shouldn't especially because they learned it from someone near to them.  Who can forget the scene in Christmas Story where Ralph says a super bad word; he blames his friend, Ralphie's mom calls the mom of the friend, and the line where did he learn that? "Probably from his father!"

Word can give life as easily as they can take life away.  I have caught myself wanting to with a wave of my hands to retract words back into my mouth, but it was too late.  You probably carry the memory of a loved one saying something to you that you never wanted to hear, knowing that that word would never be erased.  James addresses that in today's passage.  I had so many images that I wanted to use for the top image; a man shouting at a shamed woman, whose head was bowed.  The sheep from agnusday.org talking about this passage and the wise one asking, "You keeping your mouth shut?"  And the silly one saying, "Yup."  A man holding a bullhorn and out of it fire is spewing out.  You get the point.  Tame your tongue.  Let it be the star of a show titled, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the amazing tamed tongue of (put your name here)!  Hear what awesome, affirming, life-giving words can come out of this person's mouth!"  Think of the life we can give when we star in that show!

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, fill my heart and mouth with love.  Let my words bring forth life and joy of life.  We pray for those still affected by the loss of loved ones on this day on 9/11; comfort them and bring them peace.  Bring peace to our nation.  We pray for those mourning little ones who have chosen to end their lives.  Open our eyes and ears to the needs around us.  And I pray that I would not place more attention to my phone than the little ones around me.  They cannot be replaced.  Those posts can be read later.  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Pay attention.  Pay a compliment or two with your precious tongue.  Give life.

Eradio Valverde

Ashamed of Jesus? Or Is Jesus Ashamed of You?

Image from agnusday.org

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. 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.’ (Mark 8:27-28)

Happy Monday, dear Friend!  I pray the weekend renewed and refreshed you, just like the glorious rain we received in these parts!  The parched land all around us was thankful!  I would list the names of those who are thankful, but it would take too long!

Who we say Jesus is comes easily to those who watch us and know us.  Those honest friends may even tell us, as will our honest critics; but for us it is imperative that we say that Jesus is our Lord and Savior by our very being.  For the disciples, it was a question asked by the Master Himself that started first as a question about what people thought about Him.  They hemmed and hawed and say, "John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the prophets - depends who you ask!"  And then the big question; "Who do you say that I am?"  Gulp.  Peter, brave Peter, first in talk, late in thought, but this time he was right, "You are the Messiah."  And again, we find Mark's Messianic Secret enforced, as Jesus tells them to tell no one about Him.  

Jesus then shares the secret of what was next in His life, which shocked and angered the 12.  They did not want to know about the coming sufferings for Jesus.  And certainly not about His death; this drove Peter to rebuke Jesus!  Gulp again.  Jesus then calls Peter Satan; for he was setting his mind on human things, not the divine.  Then the challenge from Jesus even for us:  "If any want to be 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."  

Then the closing reality, "Those who are ashamed of me and my words...the Son of Man will also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."  Triple gulp!  How many times have we hemmed and hawed when people have asked about our faith?  How many of us to "fit in" have said something not true about our faith in order to have people like us and not judge us?  The call to be popular for many can be so overpowering that compromises replace commitments, and vices replace vows.  We are called to NOT be ashamed of Jesus!

PRAYER:  Loving Father, guide me, for I place You in the driver's seat of my life.  Lead me to faithfulness and fruitfulness.  I want to please and be accepted only by You.  Help me ignore the roar of the crowd or that one person that doesn't seem to want to let up; I belong to You.  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Show the Lord you know Him and love Him; and are NOT ashamed of Him today!

Eradio Valverde

A Prayer for Forgiveness

Image from bible.faithlife.com

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence,and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation,and sustain in me a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:7, 10-12 NRSV)

Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! (Same, The Message)

Happy Friday dear Friend!  I pray this be a day of wondrous blessings for you and from you.  Whatever your plans include for this weekend, please factor in time with the Lord in His house. I ask prayers for me as I will be preaching at First UMC of Shiner, Texas, at 11 a.m.  I will also be in worship at FUMC-Gonzales at 8:30 am.  Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.

Sin leaves a lasting spot on our souls; what is worse, it is the beginning of a spot that will grow and slowly destroy all the clean, healthy areas around it.  The only remedy is God's forgiveness.  Forgiveness lifts the weight caused by sin that our hearts cannot normally support on our own.  The blood shed by Jesus serves to remove that guilt and shame and to lift us up.  Remember the lines that formed when John the Baptist started his powerful ministry with a simple sermon:  "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand."  Boom!  That hit people right where they needed to be hit.  Sin had not been preached nor had forgiveness.  Sin was something people carried around and sadly, some died with it; the religious people of his day were not addressing it.  John says, "Come get washed clean in the Jordan!" and the crowds came.  They knew what they needed, and God offered it through John.  Then Jesus comes, uses the same sermon at first and then lives a life that showed that wholeness and healing were indeed possible to those who would humble themselves before God; then He died for those sins, bearing the weight of them on the cross.

I never tire of sharing John Wesley's response to the weight being lifted from his heart, and this after a lifelong ministry of preaching and serving; "I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." Even mine.  It hit home, thank God, and brought to him a new perspective towards God and God's love and his ministry changed.

Dear one, read again the prayer from David.  He sees in his spirit, God using a tool of the day for washing; the modern version has him soaking in the laundry; but both say the same thing:  I will be clean.  Clean from sin in a brilliant way!  AND, hear this, God can create clean hearts in us, along with a NEW and RIGHT spirit within us.  The first steps of restoration; steps that lead to salvation and joy, and the willing spirit to continue onward and upward in our spiritual lives.  With that taken care of inside of us, our outside will reflect that as well.  People will know, and people will ask what has come over us.  And we can tell them!

PRAYER:  Loving God, I pray the words of the Psalmist for my life and heart:  I want to be washed and brilliantly clean!  I want a new heart created in me, one filled with love and awe for all Your creation.  I want a new and right and wonderful spirit within me that will show on the outside!  And all this to continue serving You with a willing spirit.  In Christ Jesus' strong name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  May your actions taken now reflect on your smile later today.  Bring light into the darkness of those who need it!

Eradio Valverde

We Are Secure in the Lord!

Image from inGodsimage.com

Those who trust in God are like Zion Mountain: Nothing can move it, a rock-solid mountain you can always depend on. Mountains encircle Jerusalem, and God encircles his people - always has and always will. The fist of the wicked will never violate What is due the righteous, provoking wrongful violence.  Be good to your good people, God, to those whose hearts are right!  God will round up the backsliders, corral them with the incorrigibles. Peace over Israel! (Psalm 125 The Message)

Happy Thursday, dear Friend!  I trust this blesses your soul as you move forward and upward in your day.  Any time spent with God is a solid investment in a day filled with God's blessings and grace!

I remember vividly the mountains near and around Monterrey, Mexico.  My Mom had saved up money for our family to have an international vacation and off we went from Kingsville, Texas, to Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.  Seeing mountains for the first time in my life left a great impression.  They were huge and majestic and in the mornings I thought they were dark clouds and worried that rain was going to ruin our day, but as I looked closer, the mountains were such that they appeared as clouds.  Living in Denver for a year also made me appreciate the majesty of mountains.

The psalmist says that we who trust in God are like Mount Zion; nothing can move us and for as long as Mt. Zion has been there, we can depend on God.  Our faith should be as solid as the mountains, not easily moved and which can withstand most any storm.  The psalmist then shared how mountains encircle Jerusalem, and they do; the picture for today is from a mountain around the holy city and shows a ray of sunlight upon that glorious city.  That, says the psalmist, is the same way that God embraces us.  We are indeed secure in the Lord.  I think back to nights when I've been troubled in a dream or nightmare and I sought out the warmth of my bride, holding her made me feel more secure; imagine how much more we are when we realize that strongest, and greatest embrace is that of the Lord.  Nothing the wicked may throw or wish our way will destroy that embrace.  God will provide good to the good, so keep your heart good, and let your actions reflect a right relationship with God; you will be secure in God's embrace!

PRAYER:  Awesome Father, bless me to be good.  Help my faith journey be one of security, enough to trust and then to risk that courageous, outrageous acts that bless You and grow Your kingdom. Remind me always that I am secure in You; this I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Say a securing word to someone in need today, then back it up with an appropriate action of kindness!

Eradio Valverde

What Are You Planting? What do You Hope to Reap?

Image from buildyourmarriage.org

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor have this in common:  the Lord is the maker of them all. Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity and the rod of anger will fail. Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate; for the Lord pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them. (Proverbs 22:12, 8-9, 22-23)

May this be a wonderful Wednesday for you dear Friend!  May your needs and fears be entrusted to the Lord, and may He graciously bless you is my prayer.  Today is one of my favorite days of the week because at 12:10 pm we have our midweek Bible study.  We're in the book of Acts and God is blessings us with new insights about the impact Christianity had on individuals, communities, and nations.  I trust you are in a Bible study group.  If you're in the area you're free to join us; or find one where you live to bless your life!

You hardly see late-night commercials for getting a good name and for building integrity.  What you do see are shows, infomercials that show you how to get great riches, how to buy and sell gold, and why silver is what you should invest in.  (I'm making this up!  I hardly stay up late any more!)  But the writer of this proverb passage speaks of the true value of a good new and favor among people.  You can lose your riches, but you can never lose your good name if you are a person of integrity; the same is true for silver and gold.  And it is not a sin to be rich; it is a sin to be more in love with your possessions than with the things of God.  Rick Warren, who started and built up Saddleback Church into a huge mega church in California, wrote a book that changed his life; A Purpose Driven Life.  That made him a multi-millionaire.  He never changed his lifestyle; kept his home and the old truck he drove, but it did make him realize what he says often; "It's not a sin to be rich, but it is a sin to die rich."

The writer of this passage is believed to have been King Solomon.  You talk about a rich man, Solomon was it.  Yet, his wisdom never clouded his vision on certain things, such as what he shares about the rich and the poor; "The Lord is the maker of them all."  This was to show that we must not show favor towards one group or the other.  This passage is very closely tied to yesterday's lesson; we must treat all people the same.  Solomon is led to say that throughout out life we are planting seeds of one kind or another.  He sums it up in the verse that says, "Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity and the rod of anger will fail."  This means, be careful to plant that which blessed you later on down the line.  Be calm, count to ten before anger ruins everything.  He also believes that those who are generous are people who are blessed, because they invest or sow acts of kindness, like giving food to the poor.  And though, he was rich, and king of one of the most powerful nations at the time, he cared for those less fortunate.  He cautions against robbing the poor or taking advantage of the afflicted; for God is the One over them, and would protect them in just ways.

So, stop and reflect on decisions we have made these past few days.  Have we thought about the implications or consequences of our actions?  Have we made a long-range plan of how we might be blessing someone not only today but in the days to come?  Those are good seeds to plant.  To plant seeds seeking revenge or seeking only wealth and not compassion; those are bad seeds.  Our aim is to grow the Kingdom of God with a rich harvest of love and mercy, compassion and justice as the fruits we hope to reap one day; and those will come only through the seeds we plant today.  So, plant a seed of love and kindness; God will take care of the rest.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, bestow seeds of love in my heart. Let my heart burst forth with a rich harvest of live and kindness for all people.  May I know, through You, what seeds best serve You and Yours.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Seek to be a seed of joy for those around you!

Eradio Valverde

God-Talk Without God-Acts

Image from on sizzle.com

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgement.  What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. (James 2:1-17)

Good day dear Friend!  I trust Labor Day found you resting and blessed; now you're ready (and willing!) to do what is expected?  I pray so!  May the blessings of God's rich word speak to your heart and spirit in ways that renew and refresh you is my prayer.

When I was a boy, I could pray 10¢ to enter the only air-conditioned building I knew, and that was the Texas Theater and spend all Saturday watching the same movie over and over again.  Usually, my friend and I would only watch it once as we didn't have all-day permission for the movies.  And that was where the expression, "This is where I came in" came from; you would sometimes come in at the middle of the movie, watch it til the end, wait for it to start over and then you'd see what you missed.  When the scene where you came in started again, we would say, "This is where I came in," and leave.  Seating in the Texas was not a problem for us - wherever there was room.  Seating in a church is another matter, especially when one visits a new church.  And by new, I mean new to us, for every church will have its long-established members who "own" certain seats or pews.  A welcoming church will have ushers that will indeed find you a seat, hand you a worship bulletin and leave you to meet your neighbors if they're so inclined.  But imagine being seated according to the way you look or the way you are dressed?  In James' time that was a problem.  As the early church was getting started, the members of the church loved to receive well-dressed people.  People in rags would not be so warmly welcomed.  Ushers or greeters might, as the above passage say, ask you to stand in a certain place or to sit at their feet.  James is calling for an end to that practice in his time, and his words would still find a place in which they need to be heard. James called it the "royal law" meaning the teachings from the Hebrew Bible and from Jesus Himself; "Love your neighbor as yourself."  To show partiality and to exclude people is against God's law and is a sin.  And then he goes into further explanation of that law and sin.

The graphic I chose for today's devotional quotes The Message version of this text:  "God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense!"  As the sign shows, "Focus on not only speaking the word of God, but also patterning your life after His Son, Jesus!"  Indeed.  We do best when we not only quote scripture, but live it.  Our prayer should be that we not only believe the gospel, but receive it and live it; we may well be the only sermon someone hears that day; and we serve the Lord if that 'sermon' is a good one!  We should show partiality to everyone!  Welcome all, love all, serve all.  This is the Gospel, the good news, in action.

PRAYER:  Loving God, bless my life to be  blessing to all people.  Remover any biases or prejudice I may hold.  Let me love all, welcome all, and serve all.  I want to be the gospel in action for all people.  And this I pray in Christ Jesus' precious  and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Brush up on your daily "sermon!" (A life well lived)

Eradio Valverde

Faith to Bother Jesus?

Image from agnusday.org

From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet.Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’ (Mark 7:24-37)

Happy Labor Day Friend!  I trust this day provides rest from your labors and a renewal for the rest of this week.  We celebrate the arrival of Miss Magdalena Rose Sherman, daughter of Katrina and Brian Sherman, who serve as our youth directors at First UMC-Gonzales.  Miss Sherman arrived Saturday at 1:09 pm and weighed in at 7lb 9oz.  We thank the Lord for this precious blessing and we ask prayers for Mom and Dad as they have welcomed in their first child. We also thank God for the birthday for one of my mentors in ministry, The Rev. Francisco "Pancho" Gaytan, who celebrates a birthday today.  Prayers for God to bless him and grant him many more.  Happy Birthday, Pancho!  (Rev. Gaytan has been a long time subscriber to ConCafe!  

We have been blessed with a sermon series on prayer at our church.  Pastor Matt Pennington has taken the Lord's Prayer and dissected it and explained it in wonderful ways.  Yesterday's sermon dealt with the proper way to pray and how many people believe since they don't know a  or the proper way to pray, they don't.  And the truth is, there is no right way to pray.  The disciples as faithful Jews knew the prayers they had been taught by the religious men of their day, but when they saw Jesus praying from His heart, they wanted to learn how to pray that way as well.  Today's lesson shows how people when they knew about what Jesus could do, they sought him out.  As Jesus seeks to find some time alone in a home He believed no one would know, there they are, and among them a troubled non-Jewish woman whose daughter surfaced from a demonic possession.  This caused great unrest in her household as we can well imagine.  The woman had the courage and boldness of faith to seek Jesus and then convince Him of her need.  Many would have said, "Okay, Jesus, I understand..." and walk off.  Bold Faith has her saying, "Yes, but even the dogs under the table was the children's crumbs."  That kind of faith moved Jesus and Jesus told her that her daughter was healed.  

The second story takes place in the region of ten cities, the Decapolis.  There the crowds await Him and among them, some brought along a man who was deaf and who suffered from an impediment of speech, for him his friend begged Jesus to just lay a hand on him and heal him.  Jesus takes the man in private and puts His fingers in his ears and he spat and touched the man's tongue.  The healing was immediate; the man once deaf, could now hear; and who once could not speak correctly, now spoke plainly.  And though now the man would shout, Jesus says, "Tell no one."  This is what is called the "Messianic Secret" in Mark's Gospel.  But, as most of us would do, we would use our now loosened tongue to proclaim the goodness of God to share healing with us!  A bold faith not only knows to ask Jesus for healing; once received it proclaims to others; seek the Lord and what He can do, and then tell somebody about it!  And here's another not-so-secret secret, one never bothers Jesus with our needs.  His love is greater than our fears in asking; so ask!  In Matthew 7:7 we find that not-so-secret secret:  "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you shall find; knock, and the door shall be opened for you."   Be bold. Be a person of prayer.  Worship the Lord with your prayers, but know to ask as well.  Today's Upper Room devotional also has a lovely message on prayer and asking AND trusting.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and compassion for us.  Grant to us boldness of faith to worship You in our prayers and the boldness to ask for those things which we need. Heal us, strengthen us; and give us boldness again to tell someone about what You do.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Enjoy the rest of this Labor Day; thank the Lord for those who have jobs and bless their families with them.  Seek to labor for the Lord as we become persons of prayer!

Eradio Valverde