We Can't Hold God's Word Captive!

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Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;  if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will also deny us;  if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:8-15)

Even while prisoner, Paul kept working, writing, praying, doing; all that he could for the good of the Kingdom   I have to admit that if I have a cold or feel a bit under the weather, to bed I go and it becomes easy to say that I've done all I could given the circumstances.  But, Paul could and did, not.  He knew that we could not chain or hook the word of God like they tried to do him.  The message from the Lord Jesus remained the same, so did the determination of this apostle to continue to proclaim the Truth:  Salvation is in Christ Jesus, and with it comes eternal glory.  With it, Paul states, come these promises:  If we have died with Him, that is, if we have allowed our sin to be crucified on the cross with Him, then fullness of life is ours.  If we endure, that is, if we do not give up, we will reign on high with Him.  If we deny Jesus, Jesus will deny us; if we live as those with no faith, even so, Jesus remains faithful to us.

The work continues, and with it continues the need for us to do our part.  As Paul concludes this passage:  "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by Him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth."

Do your best; God will do the rest.

PRAYER:  Loving God, move among us, especially me; help me to die with Christ, endure with Him, never deny Him, and ever be faithful to Jesus as Jesus is with me.  In His name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

We Should Thank God at all Times, for all Things

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On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’ (Luke 17:11-19)

Dear friends,  this has been a rough week for Nellie and I; as most of you read, our niece, Nellie Ann Rodrigue died yesterday afternoon.  Nellie was home ill, I had just finished our first Cloud Charge Conference in Fannin, Texas, and as I got word I was starting a called charge conference in Seadrift, TX.  The text got to me as I needed to start the evening's meeting.  I went to the altar and just prayed for God to give us all strength.  This morning as I awoke I read another text letting me know that our dear friend, Herman Gorena died last night at 10:15 p.m.  I needed this text and the one found in The Upper Room, 2 Timothy 1: 11-12: For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him.

In all things, we thank and praise God.  These ten lepers confined to living together among the dead, for the law prevented them from contact with the living, knew that they could find new life in the one called Jesus.  Fearful to approach Him, they called to Him and asked for mercy.  They knew that Jesus would know exactly what they were asking for, and the received this strange command:  "Go and show yourselves to the priests."  The priest was the only one who could declare them cured and able to reenter society.  I might have been one who might have thought, "Huh?  Do what?"  But as they turned towards the priest, every step brought them into the fullness of life.  Yet, it was only one, and he a Samaritan, who turned back and praised God with a loud voice and falls at Jesus' feet and thanks Him.  Jesus blesses him and sends him on his way saying that his faith had made him well.  Jesus does ask, "Weren't there ten who were healed?  What happened to the other nine?  None of them thought to thank God except this one?"  And Jesus says this to the healed Samaritan.  

We thank God for His presence always with us.  Life happens with what it may bring, and we still should say, "Blessed be the Name of the Lord."  We lose loved ones, we cry, but we should still find it in our hearts to say, thank you, dear God, for Your promises shared by our Lord, Jesus, who speaks to us about life beyond this life.  Blessed be Your Name.  God will and does provide for our comfort as He does for our healing.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, we thank You and praise You for all things; for we know that in all things we can find You and find that which You offer to us.  Our prayer is that You bring comfort to any and all who mourn at this time.  I pray Your peace be with those who loved and cared for Herman and Nellie Ann.  Bless those who are reading this and have their own special needs and requests.  Be gloried, loving God in us.  May our gratitude be evident at all altitudes; in our highs and in our lows.  In Christ Jesus' precious and strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

You Would Cry Too, If It Happened to You!

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Alongside Babylon's rivers we sat on the banks; we cried and cried, remembering the good old days in Zion. Alongside the quaking aspens we stacked our unplayed harps;  That's where our captors demanded songs, sarcastic and mocking: "Sing us a happy Zion song!" Oh, how could we ever sing God's song in this wasteland? If I ever forget you, Jerusalem, let my fingers wither and fall off like leaves. Let my tongue swell and turn black if I fail to remember you, If I fail, O dear Jerusalem, to honor you as my greatest. God, remember those Edomites, and remember the ruin of Jerusalem, That day they yelled out, "Wreck it, smash it to bits!"  And you, Babylonians - ravagers! A reward to whoever gets back at you for all you've done to us;  Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies and smashes their heads on the rocks! (Psalm 137)

I thank God that I have never been carried off to a place where I did not want to be; some appointments have come close, but never to the point where I felt like the psalmist as he shares the exiles' point of view.  These were prisoners of war, who were defeated and carried off by captors.  They left the familiar waters of the Jordan to find themselves along the rivers of Babylon.  The sight of a strange river made them cry and cry, longing to again see the familiar things of home.  (I take back what I said at the first; in 1965 we were carried off by my parents from Kingsville to Houston and nights there were especially scary and lonely; the five of us longed for the days back in what we knew.  Once we knew Houston, it was a different story.)  These people were mocked for being where they were and who they were now; "Sing us songs from where you come from!"  The response is how can we sing a praise song to God in this terrible God-forsaken place?  And then that verse that haunts its presence in the Bible:  "Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies and smashes their head on the rocks!"  Ouch.  Did I say that out loud?  It's the pits that they had reached and their anger got the better of them; and some may have truly meant it, but those who are of decent heart and love for God would not; a further reflection though, of what honesty the Bible does present, words of a defeated people, filled with anger and a desire for revenge.  The theme of this week in the Lectionary is truly, "God give me more faith in all that I face," and this certainly qualifies.

Whatever your condition now; whether you're happy or not, reflect on what God has for you to do right where you are right now, and then do it.  The tears of the night give way to laughter in the morning when we realize that each new day brings with it new opportunities to truly shine and be the person God has called us to be.

PRAYER:  Loving God, may our anger never reach the depths of despair that make us say and think things we shouldn't.  Grant to us newness of mind, spirit, and purpose for all that is still before us. In Christ Jesus' precious name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Wrong Choices, Wrong Consequences

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Oh, oh, oh . . . How empty the city, once teeming with people. A widow, this city, once in the front rank of nations, once queen of the ball, she's now a drudge in the kitchen. She cries herself to sleep each night, tears soaking her pillow. No one's left among her lovers to sit and hold her hand. Her friends have all dumped her. After years of pain and hard labor, Judah has gone into exile. She camps out among the nations, never feels at home. Hunted by all, she's stuck between a rock and a hard place. Zion's roads weep, empty of pilgrims headed to the feasts. All her city gates are deserted, her priests in despair. Her virgins are sad. How bitter her fate. Her enemies have become her masters. Her foes are living it up because God laid her low, punishing her repeated rebellions. Her children, prisoners of the enemy, trudge into exile. All beauty has drained from Daughter Zion's face. Her princes are like deer famished for food, chased to exhaustion by hunters. (Lamentations 1:1-6)

"Don't touch that, that's hot!"  Seconds later, "Waaaaah!"  And on it goes for some; taught to do right, yet they choose wrong; and some even wonder why consequences come their way.  Such was the story of this empty city that was once teeming with people; now a widow, where once she had led the parade and been "queen of the ball, she's now a drudge in the kitchen."  Sobs are her companions in bed; no one to hold her hand.  Such a sad picture painted in this sharing of the consequences of trying to leave God for the things of pleasure and passion.  Those of us who have been there know that like the writer said, we find ourselves "stuck between a rock and a hard place."

The good news is that we don't have to stay where we find ourselves mired in sin; God acted on our behalf and sent Jesus to free us from our sin and to lead us away from sin into the fullness of life, and to that fullness we should go, bringing with us all who will hear and accept that they too, do not have to stay in sin; God calls us to life.

PRAYER:  Lord, help me this day choose that which brings me to life and the fullness of life.  Help me to live in such a way that blesses others to come to you; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

Living with Power and Love!

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Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. (2 Timothy 1:1-14)

The first thing I do in the mornings is to wake up my computer.  Yes, computers sleep; whether they dream or not, I know not.  But once it is up I go straight to the Upper Room devotional page.  The cover picture always intrigues me and I used to click asking the question, where is God in this picture?  If Jesus was on the cover, duh, I would click on Him.  Then this month's cover of Ruth and Noami hugging with the other sister-in-law, Orpah, walking off.  Woah, thought I, were is God in this picture?  Duh, God is everywhere I answered myself.  I can click anywhere on that box and know that God is there.  This passage reaffirms that for us; God is at work in us and because of that, we should be at work for God.  What slows us down a lot of the time is that nagging question of fear that tempts us to say this is a job for a better or bigger Christian.  No it's not; we are the better or bigger Christian, whom God has blessed with "a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind."  Fear is the easier road to take; "We can't and won't meet our church's budget;" "we can't welcome people that are different from us, they'll mess up our property;" or, "We can't lend our worship or kitchen spaces to outsiders because they might steal everything we have!"  Are those statements the ones God would make for us?  No, those are ignorant statements made by a spirit of fear.  God's spirit of power and love would speak boldly about loving and serving one another.

Friend, claim the spirit of God's power and love and sound mind for yourself.  It is what will bless you and sustain you and make the work ever before us a thrilling challenge of victory and success.

PRAYER:  Loving God, forgive me and those around me who are motivated only by fear.  We are called to be followers and doers of what God has empowered us to do; so pour out Your spirit of power and love and a sound mind to me and those who pray with me; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

I Need More Faith!

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The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!” ’ (Luke 17:5-10)

Sometimes it is easier to order a tree to uproot itself and move somewhere else, than it it to forgive.  Jesus had just called the disciples to be people of continual forgiveness, and they ask for more faith.  They knew who they were dealing with and living among, and so they know they need more faith just to comply with all that Jesus has asked of them.  Jesus again speaks of discipleship and the difficult it is to be just a believer and more so to be a disciple; we can't expect a place of honor when the work we are to do is that of a servant; and work that is expected to be done.

If you want to see servants at work, find a church that truly takes the teachings of Jesus seriously; you will see work beyond its campus, things given away, not sold, lives who will never step foot inside their worship space receiving blessing after blessing, and those doing that are doing it out of love and not thinking, "What's in it for me?"  And these are also people who know how to forgive, for they themselves have been forgiven.

What "mulberry tree" in your life needs to be uprooted?  It's probably one that enjoys prime real estate in your life and you need it removed and out of sight so that you can get on with living the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ.

PRAYER:  Loving God, help me remove the mulberry tree in my life that is blocking my view of what could be.  Help me to be a person of forgiveness and service, obedient to You and Your ways.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

The Weeping Prophet

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I drown in grief. I'm heartsick. Oh, listen! Please listen! It's the cry of my dear people reverberating through the country. Is God no longer in Zion? Has the King gone away? Can you tell me why they flaunt their plaything-gods, their silly, imported no-gods before me? The crops are in, the summer is over, but for us nothing's changed. We're still waiting to be rescued.  For my dear broken people, I'm heartbroken. I weep, seized by grief. Are there no healing ointments in Gilead? Isn't there a doctor in the house? So why can't something be done to heal and save my dear, dear people? (Jeremiah 8:18-9:1)

At a very early age I was exposed to the prophet Jeremiah in an indirect way.  Somehow, my mother came to know that Jeremiah was the weeping prophet and whenever we wept, and didn't want a reason to cry, she would ask in español, "Why do you weep, Jeremiah?"  This passage says exactly why this prophet wept so much.  The people had rejected God so much that the prophet asks, "Is God no longer in Zion?  Has the King gone away?"  He goes on to say that their disobedience and rejection of God has become a game; flaunt their idols and forget about God.  This was not fun, nor funny for Jeremiah.  He is heartbroken, weeping with much grief for their rebellion against God.  He asks if there is no balm in Gilead or a doctor who could do something to heal God's people.

I venture to say that Jeremiah would still weep at some of the things going on inside and outside the church.  We're a people that is drifting away from God, along with people who don't care about God, and those who have not yet heard and no one is willing to care enough about them to reach them.

Our prayers should be laments for those lost, and our action should be that that reaches them as quickly as we can.

PRAYER:  Loving God, please heal our hearts and heal our nation.  Help me be aa part of those who reach the lost.  I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

First Thing I Want You to Do is Pray!

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The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.  Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live. He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned:  that there's one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us - Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth. (1Timothy 2:1-7) The Message.

Prayer is sometimes the last thing we do.  Say you cut yourself accidentally while preparing a meal.  What's the first thing you do?  Okay, no swear words!  Easier said than done, right?  You wash the cut,  You go to the first aid kit and hope your grandkids haven't taken the last bandaid for their doll or stuffed animals.  You dress the wound.  But what if the cut is deeper than you thought?  The bandaid is soon saturated with blood and you realize you need medical attention...  Okay, sorry for an early morning illustration that may affect your appetite for food.  The point is that sometimes we put prayer at the end of the need.  Paul here says, pray first.  Pray first thing out of bed.  Pray as you start your day.  And he says, "Pray every way you know, for everyone you know."  That is powerful in and of itself.  Add to your prayer list those who rule over us, even for those who run over countries we may not be fond of.  This weekend saw the 15th Anniversary of that tragic day and event we now call 9-11.  And one pastor recalled how another clergy person in the days after in planning a prayer service for the community said, "Don't forget we need to pray for those who are behind this attack."  That might irk some people who don't know better.  I heard a sad illustration just this Sunday as the pastor shared how that week he and another pastor spent time with the K-9 agents of the border patrol.  They started to share how they also spend time with prisoners in the jail.  One of the agents said, "Why do you waste your time on them?  They're locked up for being convicted of wrongdoings against others; they don't deserve your time!"  Sigh.  That agent, the pastor related, is a United Methodist.  

Paul reminds us that Jesus wants us to live as He taught, not as the world teaches.  Jesus said to pray for our enemies, and to visit the sick, those in jail, and to love others as ourselves.   Jesus came to reconcile the world to God; everyone saved, not just us.  It's easier to live as the world teaches, but precisely why Jesus came, to show us a better way, a loving way; a saving way.

PRAYER:  Lord, forgive me the times I have chosen the world, prayed at the very end or when I finally remembered to pray.  Teach me Your ways, help me to love everyone, with no exceptions.  Help me to be part of those who show salvation as something given to me.  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.  

Eradio Valverde

Money Can't Buy Me Love

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Jesus said to his disciples, "There was once a rich man who had a manager. He got reports that the manager had been taking advantage of his position by running up huge personal expenses. So he called him in and said, 'What's this I hear about you? You're fired. And I want a complete audit of your books.' "The manager said to himself, 'What am I going to do? I've lost my job as manager. I'm not strong enough for a laboring job, and I'm too proud to beg. . . . Ah, I've got a plan. Here's what I'll do . . . then when I'm turned out into the street, people will take me into their houses.' "Then he went at it. One after another, he called in the people who were in debt to his master. He said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  "He replied, 'A hundred jugs of olive oil.' "The manager said, 'Here, take your bill, sit down here - quick now - write fifty.'  "To the next he said, 'And you, what do you owe?' "He answered, 'A hundred sacks of wheat.' "He said, 'Take your bill, write in eighty.'  "Now here's a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way - but for what is right - using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you'll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior." Jesus went on to make these comments: If you're honest in small things, you'll be honest in big things;  If you're a crook in small things, you'll be a crook in big things.  If you're not honest in small jobs, who will put you in charge of the store?  No worker can serve two bosses: He'll either hate the first and love the second Or adore the first and despise the second. You can't serve both God and the Bank. (Luke 16:1-13)

This parable always confuses me; in fact so much so, that I decided to see what The Message version of the Bible says.  It is a bit clearer reading it in this modern paraphrase of The Bible.  Studying some commentary on the passage, one says the point is in verse 8 (Yes, you'll have to use your Bible at home/office to read this again!), and the application in verse 9.  Jesus is trying to prepare his followers for the future.  Jesus knew the way of the world in His times and things have not changed much.  Verse 8 above is the one which says, "Now here's a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager!  And why?  Because he knew how to look after himself.  Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens.  There are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits."  That's the point of this story.  And the application is this:  "I want you to be smart in the same way - but for what is right - using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you'll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior."

The call is to be honest and to be ready.  Planning ahead for all things, especially the things of God is what blesses God, and in the long run, blesses you.  Ultimately, it is to know that the best work is the word done for God and not for money (or the bank); our love should be directly only at God, for God is whom we serve.

PRAYER:  Loving God, help me in my planning and in my day-to-day dealings.  I want to serve and love only You, and not material things.  Help me be right in my heart towards You today, so that as tomorrow comes I might be blessed by You.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

God Turns Life Around; Even Yours!

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Bilious and bloated, they gas, "God is gone." Their words are poison gas, fouling the air; they poison Rivers and skies; thistles are their cash crop. God sticks his head out of heaven. He looks around. He's looking for someone not stupid - one man, even, God-expectant, just one God-ready woman. He comes up empty. A string of zeros. Useless, unshepherded Sheep, taking turns pretending to be Shepherd. The ninety and nine follow their fellow. Don't they know anything, all these impostors? Don't they know they can't get away with this - Treating people like a fast-food meal over which they're too busy to pray? Night is coming for them, and nightmares, for God takes the side of victims. Do you think you can mess with the dreams of the poor? You can't, for God makes their dreams come true.Is there anyone around to save Israel? Yes. God is around; God turns life around. Turned-around Jacob skips rope, turned-around Israel sings laughter. (Psalm 14 The Message)

The Lost think there is no God or that God no longer cares.  I remember the time the New York Times or one newsmagazine quoted, "GOD IS DEAD."  John Lennon infamously declared The Beatles bigger than Jesus. And one person, maybe even in one of your church pews or church chairs is silently thinking things along that line.  It could be a girl who has yet to see a good father in the biological one she has.  It could be an adult man who has lost everything, or so he thinks, and God is to blame.  Something or someone poisoned them and now they are poisoning others.  I've been bing watching a TV show where one of the story lines is this very imperfect preacher who inherited precious land where his church sits and bet an angry man who has long wanted to raze the church.  You see that angry man lost all his family while they were skiing, the gondola fell, killing them all.  When the father of the preacher went to visit him, the only thing the angry man wanted was for the preacher to denounce God from the pulpit. "DENOUNCE HIM AND END THE BIGGEST LIE EVER TOLD!"  You may have felt like that at one time yourself.

The psalmist says that even in spite of our ways and our thoughts, God still loves us, so much so that this version of this psalm says, "God is around, God turns life around.  Turned-around Jacob skips rope, turned-around Israel sings laughter."  I love that imagery.  God is so powerful and yet so merciful He can turn our lives around and give us new hope; so much so the old man Jacob picks up a rope and starts jumping like those happy kids laughing and screaming for joy as they master the art of jumping rope.  And the adults of Israel are so happy seeing the old man jump, they can't help but start singing laughter out of the joy that only God can provide.  

Our job, our joy should be to find the Lost and tell them all about it.  Then sit back and enjoy the rope-jumping and the singing in whatever forms they may take.  God is good.  God is awesome. God is right here.

PRAYER:  Wow, Lord, You are good!  You are awesome,and more importantly, You are right here!  Amen and thank You.  Now let me go forth in joy to find the Lost and tell them all about it.  If I am one of the Lost, help me find You in the real way, so that I can start jumping rope and singing laughter.  I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Jump rope if you can.  Don't get hurt.  But do find the Lost!

Eradio Valverde

Thankful the Me of Yesterday Stayed There

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I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost.But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:12-18)

Bruno Mars has played the halftime show of the Super Bowl, and he's a well known, Grammy Award winner.  And his picture appears here for those of you who may not know him and because I share the lyrics of one of his songs: "Oh, oh, oh I, I was a city boy, Riding to dangers where I'd always run a boy who had his fun; But I wouldn't have done all the things that I have done, If I knew one day you'd come."  Later he sings in the same song, "I wish I was seventeen so I could give you all the innocence that you give to me."

The "me" of yesterday was not at all like the me of today.  It's what Paul is saying, and it is what most of us sinners of the forgiven kind say to the Lord, along with "Thank You, thank You, thank You!"  Paul lists just some of his sins:  blasphemer, persecutor, a man of violence.  But notice, "But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of the Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus....Christ came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the foremost (chief)."  Paul uses that status as, as one version has it, "Chief among sinners" so that other sinners can see the love, patience and mercy of Jesus, so that they too can come to believe in Him for eternal life.

Is that you?  I try to show that the oldness and sinfulness of us can stay in the past, and the new journey, the best journey begins with us as new creatures, forgiven and made ready for the journey.  We cannot let the old "me" walk with us any more.  There's a world of lost sinners perhaps waiting for your example to convince them there is hope.

PRAYER;  Like Paul, dear Father, I thank You for not letting the me of yesterday be the me of today.  I sometimes feel like the chief of sinners but for the wrong reason; let it be that You have taken the chief of sinners and made me the chief example of what You are capable of; making us all new.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

PRAYER UPDATE:  Our dear brother, Herman Gorena continues to linger with us and last night his wife asked that we pray for him to receive, in his words, "Peace and rest."  May it be so.  

Lost. And Found.

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Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance. ‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’ (Luke 15:1-10)

This passage gives us a wonderful glimpse of Heaven.  It's a place of joy.  And that joy comes when the lost are found.  God put you and me in the Lost and Found business.  You and I were once lost.  You and I are now found.  Our job is to bring joy to Heaven by helping bring the Lost back to God.  Yes, our churches are filled with lost people, but the sad part is that most are comfortable being lost and continuing to "play church."  Some pastors are too.  The Found Department is the one which looks for the lost.  The two parables involve a lot of searching, almost frantic searching.  A lost sheep was a precious thing to those who owned, and especially among the owners those who loved it.  Ninety-nine was not enough if you started with one hundred.  The woman in the second story needed ten coins, not nine, and did not rest until she found that lost coin.  Then all Heaven broke loose with celebration upon its discovery.  

You and I work among the lost.  You and I shop among the lost.  You and I may run along the lost.  And you and I cannot, and should not, rest, until the lost are found.  God cares that much and God's love is that persistent.  And so should we love all, and search for all; until the last one is found.

PRAYER:  Lord, we have much to do.  Give us the courage, the heart, strength, and wisdom to find the Lost.  We can if You come alongside us to help us in this very important search.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Work and Labor are a Part of Life

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Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, Col. 3:23 NIV

I thank God for most of the jobs I've had. I've learned from all of them and I'm grateful. I've had a job since I was 9 years old. Juan Chapa hired me, as he had my dad, to work in his store on Saturdays for $1.50. That was great money for a nine year old, and he kept me away from the slicing machine and sharp knives. He taught me a lot; and I learned to tithe starting with the .15¢ that belonged to God from that $1.50, thanks to my mother. Mostly from each job I learned that what my father told me constantly, "You have to go to college so that you won't have to work as hard as me." When he was a milkman I didn't buy that, for I thought that truly was the greatest job in the world. The smell in the creamery when they were making ice cream, the sound of a big truck with which to deliver both milk and ice cream, traveling the roads around Kingsville in that truck; it all added up to dream job. From there I went from making $1.50 a day to $1.25 an hour in Houston working in a rug company. We hand washed Persian rugs that were worth more than I've made in all jobs since then until now. We used toothbrushes, larger brushes, and we lugged those heavy rugs up to a room that had ceramic space heaters stacked three or four tall along all four walls where the rugs would dry. Sermons on hell came to mind every time I stepped into that room.

My hardest job was there summer making casings for huge fans, for these casings were made of fiberglass. Fiberglass was invented in the pits of hell by Satan himself, for it is a material that contains microscopic bits of glass that get into your skin and you itch like the worse disease you can get and not ten showers in one night can remove that itch from you. I was paid well but I left soon; I'd rather make less money and be able to sleep than to believe ants had taken over my bed.

We remember those jobs and those who have worked hard on our behalf. We are thankful that through them God has allowed us to receive that which has provided for our needs. I am thankful for the many jobs my Dad had before and after that dream job. I am thankful for my mother who during my lifetime never worked outside the home, but she did work very hard. I am thankful I married a woman who had her degree and was teaching when we married. Nellie never suffered lack of employment for in all the towns and cities we lived, God opened doors for her to teach. I am thankful that our four daughters are all gainfully employed and all with their degrees. And we await for the jobs that will come to our grandchildren. Our prayer is the same; that they value each job while striving to better themselves and attain whatever education and career they feel called to; and bring a blessing of positive transformation to the world.

Enjoy this day off, those who have it, but pray for those who work today to keep us safe, to keep us well, and to provide for us.

PRAYER: Dear Father, for the memories that have come to us for jobs past, we are thankful. For the current job and career we have, we are also thankful. We pray for those who work today and we pray you keep all safe today we enjoy a day of rest and who travel back to where they live, to start again tomorrow, with work you have provided. In Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed Laboy Day!

Eradio Valverde

No One Knows Me Like You, O Lord! The Last One Who Did, I Married Them!

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God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I'm an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.  You know when I leave and when I get back; I'm never out of your sight.  You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence.  I look behind me and you're there, then up ahead and you're there, too - your reassuring presence, coming and going.  This is too much, too wonderful - I can't take it all in! Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb.  I thank you, High God - you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration - what a creation!  You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.  Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.  Your thoughts - how rare, how beautiful! God, I'll never comprehend them!  I couldn't even begin to count them - any more than I could count the sand of the sea. Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you! (Psalm 139:1-6,13-18)

It was uncanny the number of things that were identical between my bride and me; more so the way she came to know me and still accept me.  As I said above, I married her, and after more than 38 years together we still start and end the same sentences, and believe we know the same facts about life and things in general.  But gosh, the things God knows about us. And God still loves us!  David came to know this and declares, "This is the way to live!"  What is it about us that God doesn't know?  David says, "I invite you to come and check me out; learn all about me, read me as an open book!  From way up there or from inside my heart, You know me and my thoughts.  If I get up from reading this and then come back - You've gone with me.  If I start to say something, You know precisely what I'm going to say.  If I glance back, there You are!  If I look up ahead, there You are as well!  You provide a calming, reassuring presence either in my coming and going.  This is awesome, and I love it!  Even before I was born, there You were shaping and molding me - and for all of this, I thank You!  You have made me in a marvelous way, and You know every bone, every perfection and every flaw; still that "open book" that You made.  There has not been a day when I have not been in Your sight.  How I wish I could completely understand You, the way You understand me.  This is the way to live!"

Live in a way that pleases the God who is always watching and loving you!

PRAYER:  AWESOME God, may the words above and the words in my heart and mind now be the prayer that blesses this day for You and for me.  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Prayers for Richard McClellan, who is in ICU here in Corpus.  Also for the family of Earl Frank from St. John's UMC here in CC as well.

Don't Like Yourself? Start Over!

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it. And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Look, I am a potter shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, all of you from your evil way, and amend your ways and your doings. (Jeremiah 18:1-6)

"Don't like the weather?  Wait five minutes and it'll change!"  Don't like yourself?  Ask God to change you and He will!  So many of us think we're stuck with who we are.  We mope.  We brood.  We begin to take it out on others.  Soon we are no fun to be around. And we mope some more.

Jeremiah didn't like the way his nation had become.  They knew it all, didn't need God.  And here it was his job to tell them to change.  What's a prophet to do?  God said, "Go on down to the potter's house, and I'm gonna show you."  (God's from Texas, ya know...)  And what does Jeremiah find?  The perfect sermon being worked out without any words.  "The vessel the potter was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hands, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him."  And then God told Jerry, "Don't go on thinking I can't change you or your people!  You're all in my hands."  Wow.  Think about it.  You and I are in God's hands, and He's the potter.  Prayer is the greatest gift to the unchanged and to the wanting change.  "Lord, here I am, and I've not been very pleased or proud of who I am, remake me.  And as the precious hymn says, "remold me, make me, like Thee, divine."  And wait.  And work on those areas of your life that need to die, or wilt, or be cast off, and seek those you should be taking up.  Soon, the wheel will stop spinning and God's potter hands will have you as the finished product; a vessel of grace ready for service.

PRAYER:  Lord, I and this precious reader, are stepping on Your Potter's wheel.  We've spun enough on our own and now we need Your loving hands on us to remake us and mold us.  We want to be just as You intended us to be, a perfect vessel of grace and service.  Thank You.  We praise you in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Smile as you spin!  It's God doing the spinning and His hands reworking you!

Eradio Valverde

Do It Out of Love

Image from agnusday.org

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church in your house:Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith towards the Lord Jesus.I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. (Philemon 1-21)

This epistle is a difficult one for Paul to write.  He is asking a major favor of Philemon on behalf of a runaway slave.  Somehow, both Philemon and Onesimus are believers, but in those days of that awful practice, Phil owned Onesimus, and one day Onie decided to run away to truly be free.  Paul says that "formerly he was useless to you," which could have meant this attitude was so against his being owned by someone he failed to work and reached the point where he ran away.  Was Phil a bad owner and beat and abused Onie?  We don't know; all we know is what Paul has presented:  Onesimus has become Paul's spiritual son; he had learned much and is now disposed to return back to Philemon.  Now Onie has a special status, so beloved by Paul that Paul calls him his "heart."  One has become a helpful assistant to Paul and Paul has difficulty sending Onie back, but wants now Philemon to do the right thing; receive him back, not as a slave, but as a beloved brother, both in the flesh and in the Lord.  Paul says, "If you truly consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.  And if he owes you anything, I will pay it for you.  And by the way, I am saying nothing of what you owe me - your very life."

Jesus Christ has set us free from the slavery to sin.  He has set us free from the prisons we made for ourselves out of bad habits and choices; flung open the doors and welcomed us out.  And if any of us feel someone is indebted to us, we should do as Paul is asking of Philemon, set them free.  As Christ has freed us, we should freely free any who are indebted to us.  If we keep them "right where we want them," guess what?  We're right back in that same prison that Christ had freed us from! And that's no way to live.

PRAYER:  Loving God, I thank You for the freedom You shared with me; help me to be one who frees others from jails and prison, indebtedness and obligations.  Your grace is too precious to keep for myself.  I pray this in Christ Jesus my Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

All In!

Image from angusday.org

Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. (Luke 14:25-33)

There have been several times in my life that I have had to choose decisions that if I made them, I would have to be all in.  No halfway compromise, but full-hearted, full-minded, all-body commitment.  The first was my decision to go away for college.  I chose a college about three hours away from home.  I had no car.  All my family packed into our family sedan, along with all of my earthly belongings; more important to me at that time was the Radio Shack stereo I had gotten for Christmas.  They dropped me off, saw my dorm room, kissed and hugged me and off they drove.  I had to decide that this was the right decision, the right place, and the right time to do what I needed to do.  Within a few hours an upperclassman asked if I wanted to go see a movie.  I started to say, "Let me go ask...Sure!"  No longer had to ask permission to go to the movies!

The seriousness of Christ's call involves our being able to commit in the same way.  I knew once I stayed, my job was to learn, study, work, and do all that was involved in my being a good college student.  Jesus in the same way asks for our full commitment in all areas of our lives.  Jesus matters more than family, for there will be some families that will not share the same commitment to Him and we will have to decide.  Jesus gives us a task for which we need to also commit all of ourselves to complete.  Jesus may even ask us to move far from where we are right now, and we should be ready to say yes, Lord, here am I.  No one has ever said it is easy to follow Jesus.  Discipleship costs.  It cost Jesus His life, and it costs us our lives while living, to give all and do all.

PRAYER:  Awesome God, here I am.  Ready. Willing, and with Thy help, able.  Use me.  I'm all in.  And this only because of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Never Satisfied?

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Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5Thus says the Lord: What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves? 6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that no one passes through, where no one lives?’ 7 I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. 8 The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who handle the law did not know me; the rulers* transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after things that do not profit. 9Therefore once more I accuse you, says the Lord, and I accuse your children’s children. 10 Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing. 11 Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit. 12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the Lord, 1for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:4-13)

Some people are just like that I guess. Or should I say some of us are like that? God has done wonderful and incredible things, but we're never happy nor satisfied. We woke up this morning and yet we gripe, "I don't want to get up!" Or, we complain, "I don't want to go to work!" Don't you remember a time when you were so sick you couldn't get out of bed? Or, don't you remember the excitement when you were offered your current job? You're being Old Testament, people! This passage is a prime example of God's reaction to the people whom God led out of slavery into freedom; yet they complained, yet they kept looking back, wanting to go back and keep doing the same though slaves. They forsook the Lord, and took to doing things for themselves they couldn't quite do. And we sometimes do the same.

Zig Ziglar, the late motivational speaker used to offer what he called, The checkup from the neck up. Think about it; it's about attitude and gratitude. If we would but pause from time to time, to take stock of what God has truly done for us and the countless blessings we have because of Him, we would have a better attitude; we might even have gratitude. Then, life would truly be seen with God's eyes and not ours. The big picture would blot out the imperfections and small nuisances that make us think that all is lost. It isn't.

PRAYER: Awesome God, You have done so much for me that I just want to thank You. Forgive me the times I want my way and not Yours. Help me truly have an attitude of gratitude in and towards all things. The truth is that You truly aren't through with me, and the best is yet to come. This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Smile more!

Eradio Valverde

In God's Guest Room

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I run for dear life to God, I'll never live to regret it. Do what you do so well: get me out of this mess and up on my feet. Put your ear to the ground and listen, give me space for salvation. Be a guest room where I can retreat; you said your door was always open! You're my salvation - my vast, granite fortress.  My God, free me from the grip of Wicked, from the clutch of Bad and Bully. You keep me going when times are tough - my bedrock, God, since my childhood. I've hung on you from the day of my birth, the day you took me from the cradle; I'll never run out of praise. (Psalm 71:1-6 The Message)

As a youth growing up in the Río Grande Conference, our retreats were usually held in big cities, not camps, and our accommodations were in people's homes not cabins.  That made for interesting character development.  And as a youth officer I sometimes went alone to different meetings where again, I would end up in someone's guest room.  And though the rooms never looked like the picture above, it was better.  I felt at home.  I felt safe.  I felt welcomed and loved.  There are people who were the adults in those homes who welcomed me as a son and made true the Lord's word on leaving home for His work and finding mothers and fathers wherever we would go.  Mrs. Gladys Sonnen was one of my moms when I stayed there with my dear friend, David.  Mr. Andrew Hernandez was my dad when I stayed there with my dears friends Andy and Bobby.  Recently, we always had a special room with Bill and Jody Henderson where we were welcomed and loved.  That is why I chose the Message Bible's version of today's psalm.  It always speaks honestly and in a tone that is very today.  There have been times I have run for dear life right to God, and I have yet to regret finding a hiding place in God.  And yes, God has gotten me out of many messes, and yes, God has given me salvation.  And yes, God has a guest room where I enjoy the things a guest room provides like I mentioned above:  a home away from home, security, safety, and love.  God's door is always open, for God is my salvation.  In God I do find escape from the grips of Wickedness and Bad and Bully; God keeps me going even when the going is rough.  May I never run out of praise!

PRAYER:  Yes, Loving God, You are my hiding place, my refuse, my rock and my secure place.  Thank You for the guest room I find through prayer, silence, reflection and the reading of Your Holy Word.  May it be a place others find when needed; for You are my Salvation.  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Serve the Lord with the Right Words

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Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’ Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ But the Lord said to me,‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;for you shall go to all to whom I send you,and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.’ Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,‘Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,to pluck up and to pull down,to destroy and to overthrow,to build and to plant.’ (Jeremiah 1:4-10)

Think of the hardest job you've ever had.  Think of the worst job you've ever had.  Sometimes those are two and the same.  But whatever job or jobs came to mind, let me ask you, "Have you ever been a prophet?"  And I don't mean being an outspoken critic in your church; I mean a biblical prophet, called by God in a different era, unusually under a kind or queen, and your job was to speak God's judgment on that kingdom.  Ouch.  It was not an easy job.  It was usually a job not sought after; it was just given to you by God.  Here is Jeremiah's call.  I've known about Jeremiah longer, because before I could read, my Mom would say to us boys if we were crying, "Who do you think you are, Jeremiah?"  I didn't know then what that meant, but I came to find out.  She knew Jeremiah through her church life that he was the weeping prophet.  Such was the power of his message and expectation that he wept a lot for his people and for himself charged with this task of using the right words to bring the message of God to a disobedient people.  One scholar has said that Jeremiah embodied the message of God and felt the anguish of God and that of the people.  Yet, he was the right man at the right time for the task.  

We notice that the call from God came to this prophet even before he was born; in the womb Jeremiah was consecrated and appointed.  Even as the boy says he is too young, God reassures him that if God calls us, he will equip up and ready us for the task.  God calls the prophet to not have fear, for God was with him, and God gave Jeremiah the words he was to speak.  Notice that God gave the prophet words "to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."  

In our daily life we too are called to serve the Lord.  We are to use the God-given words that we have heard in our churches, our devotional life, our experiences, and our memories to bless, heal, transform, and to build up.  Ours is a job of bringing hope to a people that are lost and drowning in their sins; and we can do that lovingly.  

PRAYER:  Lord God, just as You called Jeremiah, You are calling us to share Your words.  Grant us those words, the assurance that we are not alone, and that You are with us, and the strength that takes away our fear of serving You.  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Worship As Usual? I Think Not!

Image from crosspoint.com

You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. (For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.’Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’)But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.’ This phrase ‘Yet once more’ indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:18-29)

There have been times when you and I have been in worship settings where we know little to no effort was put into it.  The music dragged.  The sermon was just so-so.  The people were not welcoming.  And the congregation was small and they reflected they were bored.  And I suspect that any effort to change worship would be a matter of much discussion in a committee meeting.  The above passage shares what the writer knows to be true; when it comes to God, God is awesome.  And when it comes to worshipping an awesome God, our worship should be awesome and inspiring. Moses, as he says, experienced God and his job after that was to help the people of God become an awesome people of worship and service.  And he wanted that reverence and awe to spill over into their daily lives.  Therefore, people of a stale worship become people of stale lives.  We must not be about that.  Read the final verses of this passage again:  "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire."

Do what you must to spark up your worship life and your life outside of worship.

PRAYER:  Loving God, speak to our hearts the truth about You.  Move among us and stir us up for obedient and awesome worship, and let it spill over into our daily lives.  We serve an exciting God and we should live in ways that invite others to come to You.  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

That's a Hard Way to Live!

Image from tncchurch.org

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from your ailment.’ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.’ But the Lord answered him and said, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?’ When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing. (Luke 13:10-17)

Having moved from a tiny home town to a huge metropolis of over one million people was enough to make me walk if not bent over, certainly walking with head down.  My mother who would watch this 13 year old walk the two city blocks to catch the city bus once asked, "Are you looking for nickels?"  I laughed and said no, I'm just trying to avoid people...  She asked why and I told her, and she said that I was as good as anybody else, and God had made us all, and I had nothing to hide; to look people in the eye and find my way through this world.  And I did.  

Imagine living that way most of your life.  Eighteen years is a long way to live bent over or with heads bowed.  This woman regardless of her appearance found her way to worship every week; she didn't let this physical handicap limit her praising and thanking God; and it was in the synagogue on that Sabbath that she found healing at the hands of Jesus.  Jesus, remember, was teaching in the synagogue on this sabbath day and while he was teaching this woman came in.  He calls her over and says, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment."  He laid hands on her and her healing was immediate.  And so was her praising of God.  After 18 years of living life limited as she was, now she was completely free to praise and worship God.  And yet, the leader of the synagogue became angry that this healing took place on the sabbath.  The routine had been broken; Jesus brought change to the worship service, and most certainly now the offering could not be taken up because people's focus was on the healed woman.  This leader begins to lecture Jesus about work on the sabbath; "You have six days to do that kind of thing, why now and why here?"  Jesus answered them with the reality of how strict this rule of worship was kept, and then calls this woman a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had kept this way for many eighteen long years, now she is free from her bondage.  That shut the leader and his followers up.  The crowd went back to "rejoicing at all the wonderful things that He was doing."  Indeed.

You and I have been blessed by Jesus and most of us have kept those things pretty secret, but now is the time to speak up and share the wonderful things that Jesus has done for us.  The world needs to hear some good news.  We need to share with so many the answers we have gotten from the Lord and let others know that all is not lost, there is still a savior that delivers us from our captivity and shame.  Otherwise, people will continue to live looking down and not up; thinking that all is lost; when we know it is not.

PRAYER:  Speak to my heart, Loving Father, and let me share the Good News with all people.  Great and many are the wonderful things You have done for me, now let me share those with others.  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Update:  Mrs. Ally Portwood, underwent surgery and the complications she was having were fixed.  She was moved from ICU to a private room and should be released to go home soon.  Praise God!  And thank you  all of your prayers.

Get Out of Bed! You've Slept Long Enough!

Image from hexjam.com

Listen, Shepherd, Israel's Shepherd - get all your Joseph sheep together. Throw beams of light from your dazzling throne  So Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh can see where they're going. Get out of bed - you've slept long enough! Come on the run before it's too late.Remember how you brought a young vine from Egypt, cleared out the brambles and briers and planted your very own vineyard? You prepared the good earth, you planted her roots deep; the vineyard filled the land. Your vine soared high and shaded the mountains, even dwarfing the giant cedars. Your vine ranged west to the Sea, east to the River. So why do you no longer protect your vine? Trespassers pick its grapes at will; Wild pigs crash through and crush it, and the mice nibble away at what's left. God of the angel armies, turn our way! Take a good look at what's happened and attend to this vine. Care for what you once tenderly planted - the vine you raised from a shoot. And those who dared to set it on fire - give them a look that will kill! Then take the hand of your once-favorite child, the child you raised to adulthood.  We will never turn our back on you; breathe life into our lungs so we can shout your name!  God, God of the angel armies, come back! Smile your blessing smile: That will be our salvation. (Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19 The Message Bible)

Ah, the joys of sleep!  Some people enjoy sleep too much; some not at all.  Which are you?  For this passage sleep refers to inaction or inactivity towards what God desires from us.  So, it isn't necessarily that of staying in bed snoring; it is our willing to stay inactive, or worse, indifferent to what God calls.  The image of the vineyard returns today; the psalmist is calling upon God, and upon God's children, to awaken and to do that which pleases God, not us.  The feeling of the writer is that God has abandoned us and pleads for God to return; when in fact God never moves, it is us.  The old joke of the elderly couple stoping at a traffic light behind a young couple, tells of the wife on the passenger side saying, "Look at those two!  They're so close together they seem like a two-headed monster!"  Then reflecting on it says, looking at her husband, "Remember when we used to do that?  Why don't we do that anymore?"  The old man said, "I haven't moved."  

Here is our invitation to move closer to the Lord in our actions.  Stop sleeping and taking for granted that God will do everything for us.  We have to get up, get out, and busy in doing what we are called to do:  Share the Good News of God's love through Jesus Christ.  Every day that we take for granted is a day lost in the work needed for God's Kingdom.

PRAYER:  Awaken, O God, my heart, mind, spirit, and body, to the work You've called me to do.  There is so much to do and we cannot take another day for granted.  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

As the Sun Rises and Sets, God is Faithful!

Image by Eradio Valverde, Jr. of Corpus Christi Bay

The God of gods - it's God! - speaks out, shouts, "Earth!" welcomes the sun in the east, farewells the disappearing sun in the west. From the dazzle of Zion, God blazes into view. Our God makes his entrance, he's not shy in his coming. Starbursts of fireworks precede him. He summons heaven and earth as a jury, he's taking his people to court: "Round up my saints who swore on the Bible their loyalty to me." The whole cosmos attests to the fairness of this court, that here God is judge. (Psalm 50:1-6 The Message)

God is noisy!  And God makes a grand entrance!  And He does it every. day.  The photo above I took here in the Sparkling City by the Sea; it's noisy and it's grand.  And it's beautiful.  It is God shouting, as this version of the Bible says, "Earth!  Wake up and be ready for a new day!"  And in the same way, God is coming back through Jesus.  The shout and the message will be the same, "Earth!  Gather all the earth and come with me; It's Judgment Day."  Jesus painted a picture of what that would be like in Matthew 25:  Goats on one side, sheep on the other; going up?  or going down?

Friends, it is our choice.  We would love to blame God for any condemnation we might have, but indeed, it has been the result of our choices that will determine our eternity.  Why not choose life, and eternal at that?  Why not begin a relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?  Why not grow our faith into one of love and service to all, as Jesus says is our duty; to feed the hungry, quench the thirst of the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and prisoner?

PRAYER:  Loving Lord, I again confess I am a sinner and ask forgiveness of my sins.  I invite You into my life as Lord and Savior and I pray that I might begin a faithful and fruitful relationship with You. Guide me and bless me; in Christ Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Update:  Davis' procedure went well; he, Mom, and Dad are doing fine, thanks be to God!

Are You Religious, or In A Relationship?

Image from westloop-church.blogspot.com

The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.  Hear the word of the Lord,    you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God,    you people of Gomorrah!  What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?    says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt-offerings of rams    and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls,    or of lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me,    who asked this from your hand?    Trample my courts no more;  bringing offerings is futile;    incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation—    I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.  Your new moons and your appointed festivals    my soul hates; they have become a burden to me,    I am weary of bearing them.  When you stretch out your hands,    I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers,    I will not listen;    your hands are full of blood.  Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;    remove the evil of your doings    from before my eyes; cease to do evil,     learn to do good; seek justice,    rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan,    plead for the widow. Come now, let us argue it out,    says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet,    they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson,    they shall become like wool.  If you are willing and obedient,    you shall eat the good of the land;  but if you refuse and rebel,    you shall be devoured by the sword;    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 1:1, 10-20)

The old story tells of the man who died and stands before Saint Peter expecting entrance into the Heavenly gates.  The man identifies himself and Peter asks him what he did with his life declaring that you must score 100 points to gain entrance.  He says that he was married to the same woman for sixty years and completely faithful to her the entire time of their marriage.  Peter replied that was worth one point.  "One point?" argues the man, "Is that all?!"  Yes, says the saint; what else have you done?  The man said he sang in the church choir for all his life.  "Great," said Peter, "that's worth another point.  Well, states the man, I was a tither and gave to second mile campaigns in the church.  "Great, another point!"  Another point, declares the man, at that rate the only way I'll get in is by the grace of God!  "That's correct, 100 points!  Come on in!"

God's grace desires our relationship with God, not religious acts.  Our faith should and does motivate us to do good, but we do it not for points or appearances, we do it because we love God and seek to love God's creation, which includes other people.  The prophet Isaiah as he begins his book lists God's complaints against an empty religious people, who went through the motions of good religious deeds, but who showed nothing of love and compassion for others.  God answers, "Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, please for the widow," and as a result of this the Lord says, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."  Those are the marks of one in love and in a true relationship with God.

PRAYER:  Loving God, help me go beyond motions to meaning and purpose.  Help me be the example of what it means to love and serve You.  Bless me so that I may bless others.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Request:  Please pray for Davis Barnett, son of Kim and Rev. Ryan Barnett, undergoing a procedure today to have tubes placed in his ears.  Pray for Mom and Dad to know the calm assurance of God's presence.

"I've got to see it to believe it!"

Image from ptstulsa.edu

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’ All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16)

One of my favorite hymns is "Open My Eyes, That I May See."  It has a beautiful melody but a very demanding message.  I should add it is a hymn, that according to our hymnal is not based on scripture.  A few pages later, we have a hymn that I don't believe I've ever sung called, "Faith, While Trees Are Still in Blossom."  I don't know the melody, but the message is beautiful because it is based on the first verse of this morning's passage.  The first stanza says, "Faith, while trees are still in blossom, plans the picking of the fruit; (this would be a great Valley hymn!) faith can feel the thrill of harvest when the buds begin to sprout."  One cannot be a farmer without faith.  The seeds as they are planted are done so with hope and conviction; trusting that God will bring to blossom a tree, and some time later, the fruit of that tree.  One cannot be a farmer without patience, for it is a long process between planting and harvest.  And dare we say one cannot be a believer without the kind of faith defined here?  We have, if we ask, the assurance of God upon our lives about life; seeing that which we know will come because of faith.  And the parents of the faithful from the pages of the Bible are shared with us as encouragement to us:  Abraham, and we add Sarah, the father and mother of the faith; called by God to leave his home for a new one with the promise of an inheritance and off they went. And as they had been told and promised, so did they reap.

You may be in a place where you don't yet see what you hoped to have seen, but God says this is in My time, not yours.  You may be in a place where you feel like giving up, but God says give me more time, I'm working on it.  You may be in a place where you have given up and you think you've reached the end; God says, "It's not over until I say it's over.  Hold my hand and believe."

PRAYER:  Loving God, forgive us those times of doubt and despair.  Hold us ever more tightly during those times.  Grant to us the faith we need to have that assurance and conviction that You're in control and we see the harvest even before we see the blossom; this we pray in Christ Jesus our Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Let Me Have All Things

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

Once I became a parent and now as a grandparent, I realized the humorous clamoring of children at times is mine. There is a huge difference between want and need. Children, and some of us, are slow to learn that, for we "need" almost everything we covet or desire. My "want" list is now relatively short, for God has supplied all my needs. Yet, if I ask one of my grandchildren, their "need" list is long. If you don't believe me take them to Toys'Rus or the toy department of any discount store. As soon as their little eyes see something, it is, of course, something they need!

The prayer of Wesley deals with our needs and wants, but keeps it in a healthy perspective. In our relationship with God, we trust God enough to say what Wesley said, if You want to give us all things, I am fine and happy with that; if You chose to give me nothing, I am fine and happy with that. The key is our knowing that as long as God is with us, we will lack for nothing. The very first verse of that famous 23rd Psalm, in King james English, was something we all learned, but it was years before we realized its true, deep meaning. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." I struggled in Sunday school yet didn't ask for fear of revealing what my Sunday school teacher may have suspected about me; but I wanted to ask, "Why do I not want the Lord?" Now I know and rejoice in saying because the Lord is the good shepherd of my life, I lack nothing.

Make God the Good Shepherd of your life and you too, can join David, and others who declare, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

PRAYER: God of all provision, you know my heart and thoughts; make them right and real before You and for me. Let me have the deep faith of those who trusted completely in You so that I can honestly and truly pray, "I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing," I pray in Christ Jesus my Lord, amen.