Renew the Face of the Earth!

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Hear the devotional read here: https://bit.ly/3ftiypi

24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. 26 There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. 27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season; 28 when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. 31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works— 32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. 35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 104:24-34, 35b New Revised Standard Version Bible)

Happy Thursday to you, ConCafe Family. Be anew on this day, dear Reader by casting your sadness, woes, history into the hands of Jesus. It is He who can take the dirt and muck thrown on us, and make it a healing mud that allows new sight with which to see that what we thought we were facing is not all that bad now! Jesus does that and so much more, if we would but let Him! May our prayers continue for all who are healing and recovering. Prayers for one another. Prayers for us as we seek God during this time of worship and reflection.

We have had some interesting weather in these parts! We have had lots of rain (Thanks be to God!) and other rain-related products we'd much rather do without, like flooding, flash or nonflash, and tornados! Even as late as today our grandson in the Valley said, "It's pretty bad down here in the Valley; the kind of weather I've never seen here!" And about a week ago, under similar circumstances, his sister, Eliana was super worried about the weather and started singing to our daughter Carli, a song that I written for our Carli! It's a simple song that says, "Who takes care of Carli in the middle of the night? Who takes care of Carli when she's had a fright? Who takes care of Carli even when she's alright? Jesus does." And Eliana was using her own name and singing it in faith. The psalmist did that too; songs of comfort and trust, as well as songs of lament and woe; for he knew that in God he had a ready audience of One Who cares and acts on our behalf. The song we heard read right now is a song of praise and thanksgiving. Many are the works of God, in fact, too numerous to count; all made from God's wisdom, including the creatures and all of creation, "both small and great." Having recently to the shore, he had seen the ships and the beasts from the deep that were called the Leviathan; all creatures receive from God their food in due season. God's hand opens and food is shared. God hides His face and the creation gets worried. When breath fades, creatures die and they return to the dust; but when God sends forth His Spirit, they are created; and the face of the earth is renewed. And in the good and the bad, the psalmist sings, "May the glory of the Lord endure forever and may God rejoice in what He has made. God is involved in all of creation and creation reacts to God's presence; and we? We sing God's praises as long as we have life and as long as we have being. May all that we say, sing, and pray, be pleasing to God, for this makes us glad. Sinners, he sings, this is a time to get right with God or be "consumed from the earth; and the wicked will be no more." We bless and praise the Lord!

Again, notice the role and work of the Holy Spirit. It is God moving in and around us, in and through us, and sometimes, even in spite of us; God's will is to be done on the earth as it is in Heaven; and all that God does, deserves God's praise. As I walked through our supermarket here in town, I was immediately drawn to the Seasonal Aisle, the one where the relevant merchandise gets put there to sell; and the crowds in that store along with these brightly colored summer toys and bubbles, candy and towels, all spoke of the joy that many have as summer approaches at full speed. Even the crowds are sensing that joy and are drawn to buy and rejoice in the things that will make this a bright summer unlike the one last year. It is as if the face of the earth has indeed been renewed. Though the virus is still among us, those vaccinated are immune from the ravages that others sadly, did not escape; and the joy of grandparents finally seeing little ones for the first time in months, if not a year, fills all hearts with glee. This, dear friends, is the work of God's Holy Spirit moving among and through us; creation is still happening and earth is glad as we should be also.

PRAYER: Loving Father, come into all hearts with the power to renew and refresh. Erase the pain and hurt that has harbored in the secret places for too long; remove them and fill instead our hearts with joy and love. May each day bring us close to You and two each other; this is our prayer, in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen,

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a part of the renewal of the earth by smiling and laughing more!

Receive my joy and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Got Any Dry Bones in Your Life?

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Listen to the devotional read here: https://bit.ly/2S7aGS4

1 The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones: 'Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!'" 5 God, the Master, told the dry bones, "Watch this: I'm bringing the breath of life to you and you'll come to life. 6 I'll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You'll come alive and you'll realize that I am God!" 7 I prophesied just as I'd been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. 8 I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them. 9 He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, 'God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!'" 10 So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army. 11 Then God said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they're saying: 'Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there's nothing left of us.' 12 "Therefore, prophesy. Tell them, 'God, the Master, says: I'll dig up your graves and bring you out alive - O my people! Then I'll take you straight to the land of Israel. 13 When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people, you'll realize that I am God. 14 I'll breathe my life into you and you'll live. Then I'll lead you straight back to your land and you'll realize that I am God. I've said it and I'll do it. God's Decree.'" (Ezekiel 37:1-14 The Message Bible)

Happy Wednesday, ConCafe Family! May the blessings of God bless you Friend into service that brings God to full knowledge in you and all who need that! May our prayers continue for all that need our prayers and God's blessings. Pray for Irene Oakes, of FUMC Gonzales who is having shoulder surgery today. Pray for a successful operation and speedy recovery. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

This is one of the most fun passages in scripture. I know it was not written wtih the intent to make Eradio smile or chuckle. It has a very serious message, but it is an amazing, almost incredible message. Hint: Our God is a God of life, of incredible acts, and whose message may not always be super obvious to everyone. And is one of those passages, like many in the Holy Bible, upon second or third readings reveal ideas or images not yet realized and it is important to prayerfully and marvelously read each as a surprise message from God. May we be open to new adventures that God may be sharing with us through this reading. Bear in mind that this is done in a paraphrase style with the imagination of Dr. Eugene Peterson, who wanted the scripture to jump out at us in a modern way.

Years ago, my sister had a male friend interested in her. She found him amusing, but did not hold the same serious interest in him as he had in her. Part of it may have been was the fact that he was the son of a funeral director, who owned a chain of funeral homes. As the son and as one who was in training to be an undertaker, he had more than his share of stories of his experiences with the dead. He certainly held our attention and made some of sleep a bit uncomfortably. I won't go into detail! I hope this scripture doesn't frighten you!

The passage begins with the prophet sharing how God grabbed him and sat him in the middle of a most unusual spot; "an open plain strewn with bones." Think of an uncovered cemetery. Okay, for the fearful, don't! This place was covered with bones! Those suffering from ostiophobia please bear with me! This is a word made up for those with a fear of skeletons and bones. But these bones had been so exposed to the sun and the elements that they were bleached. The question that God asks the prophet is one the prophet probably did not expect. God asks, "Can these bones live?" The prophet gives a good response, "Master God, only You know that." I would have silently said that to myself had I been standing near this conversation. He doesn't commit to making himself look foolish or dumb, but hands it off to God for God to answer. Yet, regardless of the answer, God shocks him further by giving him an almost impossible task; "Prophesy over these bones: 'Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!'" Okay. A prophet is the mouthpiece of God and if God orders the mouthpiece to speak to dry bones, then speak! It is then that God speaks directly to these bones with this message; "Watch this: I'm bringing the breath of life to you and you'll come to life. I'll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You'll come alive and you'll realize that I am God!" The prophet was faithful in sharing this message and he hears a sound along with rustling, and the bones moved and came together, bone to bone. All that God said would happen, happened! Fully formed but devoid of breath. Again God gives Ezekiel the command and Ezekiel shares and the breath of life comes and fills the bodies now formed from the bones, and they formed a huge army. God then identifies the army as being the house of Israel, and the prophet hears the voice of this army as they said, "Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there's nothing left of us. Then the word of promise and hope; God will dig up your graves and pull you out alive. You will be taken straight to the land of Israel; and you will be formed as God's people, and you will be people of life.

This passage goes hand in hand with all the passages related to the coming of God's Holy Spirit. It is a passage of life, love, and hope. It is a promise of life beyond death, and life beyond hopelessness. It is also a message of faith for the Church. And it seems today's church needs to hear this. We have many church buildings occupied by people but no mission or vision to share with the world. Some are social clubs to be honest; others are ideology centers, with little to nothing to share about Jesus and His love. Many gather to gather; and scatter just to scatter. The message is clear; invite the Holy Spirit into your life. Think about the "dead" areas of faith in your life, and ask God how to bring life into that part of you. We should invite the Holy Spirit into our churches to give us life and as a result we will have life to share with the people outside of our churches. Being dead is not the goal of God; while we have breath we should thrive in the fullness of life; when we encounter hopelessness, we share hope; when we find some in darkness we have light to share; and for those living Godless lives, we share God.

I say the adventure has been laid out for us; it's up to us to join in or get left behind.

PRAYER: Loving God, fill us with Your Holy Spirit. May He guide us to faithfulness and fruitfulness. May we be guided to respond in loving ways to situations that seem futile. Bless us, bless our families, our churches, our communities, our government; bless all who need blessing in the right way to become the people you have called us to be. Please bless those who are facing need. May we glorify You; we pray in Jesus' strong name! Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Be a conduit of God's Spirit to those in need!

Receive my blessings of love and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

The Birth of The Church!

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Listen to today's devotional: https://bit.ly/33R5moz

1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Par'thians and Medes and E'lamites and residents of Mesopota'mia, Judea and Cappado'cia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phryg'ia and Pamphyl'ia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyre'ne, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine." 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day. 21 And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' (Acts 2:1-21 RSV)

Happy Tuesday everyone in the ConCafe Family! May God bring you awesome opportuities to witness to your faith in Him! May many come to know the depths of God's love because of you! We heard that Sylvia Gaytan's surgery of the spine went well, but she is in a lot of pain. She said she could feel the prayers lifted up on her behalf, so thank you all! May the Lord bring her comfort and peace during these hours is our prayer. Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.

It sometimes happens. We gather for one reason and another presents itself as an alternative. And sometimes the alternative proves to be the better thing. The Day of Pentecost was already a special day for the Jewish church. It was the day that was used to commerate the giving of the law to Moses from God. It was a special day that drew many visitors to Jerusalem. Verses 8 and 9 give you an idea of just where these visitors were from. While most of these visitors spoke or at least understood Hebrew, they would soon be amazed by a miraculous outpouring of The Holy Spirit. The disciples, being faithful Jews themselves, were aware of the festivities, but were safely hidden in the Upper Room, when a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, that filled up the house where the 12 were sitting. "And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." What were these different languages saying? "The mighty works of God." I may have already shared how some years ago, Nellie and I were part of a medical team to Puebla, Mexico. We took a team of doctors, nurses, and plenty of volunteers to help run a Methodist clinic there. While there we were given two copies of a self-published book by a missionary who had served in that area since the 1950s. In one of the stories shared by the Missionary Dow Robinson, he speaks of how a chief of one of the villages was in a coma and he, as a now respected man of medicine and faith, was invited to pray for him. The chief was an Aztec and spoke only his native language but when he awoke, thanks to God answering his prayer, the chief spoke in Spanish and quoted Old Testament verses and spoke of the greatness of God. He became a believer and led his whole village to Christ. I should mention that Bro. Robinson was of a denomination which does not believe in the work of the Holy Spirit in modern days; the work of the Spirit was only for work such as we read in today's passage and then returned to heaven. Hmm.

This declaration in diverse languages gathers a larger crowd, bewildered by these men from Galilee speaking their languages! Some were bewildered, some were angry and accused them of being drunk "with new wine." It was Peter who saves the day and says the men were not drunk as it was only nine in the mornning, and refers them to the prophet Joel who spoke of the last days when God would "pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; yea, and one my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy."

What this tells me is that there is no limit to what God won't do to get His message to all the world. Someone once said, "Whatever it takes, God will make His love known to all people. Our God is a God of invitation and salvation; and wants to draw all people to Him. No one is turned away; but we are good at rejecting God's love and care. It's the answer to the question, how can a loving God send anyone to hell? God does not send any one to "the other place," we choose to reject that love and go our own way. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit in this mighty way was the birth of the Church. Created by God for God's people; all languages of and for all people, indicating God wanted all people to be a part of the kingdom. This part of the chapter does not tell the complete story, but it shows that as the Church developed, leadership would begin to step forward to lead the way forward. Here we see Peter speaking up, and boldly I might add, to sway the perception of the people away from mockery and towards the awesome nature of God's work of inclusion and salvation. The primary element of Church is worship; and as people heard from everyday folks speaking of the wonders of God, that is worship! That is praise! And to hear from others about could be, as in the prophecies, that too, is worship; Prophetic words must share that which can and should be; a better world until the perfect world comes.

We should think back to Eden. The paradise was not the lush vegetation as it was the relationship between God and His creation. No language barriers, just God providing for the needs of His creation, and God getting to know His creatures with talks and walks. The greatness of God's creation spoke for itself of what God could do; it was after Eden that paradise seemed far off and maybe even unattainable; It took the death of God's own Son for the paradise to begin all over again; God reaching out for humanity, and now humanity could reach back out to God. The Law which had served its purpose in defining the breaks in the relationship is now seen in a different light because God's work through His Spirit is reaching out to all people with a desire to bring in, to forgive all, and to receive all. We will see soon enough that that one day alone brought in 3,000 persons who also desired to know more about God. And that was just the beginning of this massive restoration project of God's.

PRAYER: Awesome Father, bring us closer to You and closer to each other. May we find new ways of communicating with each other so that we might continue the worship and praise that sings of Your majesty and might. We pray for the Church to be triumphant here on the earth as it is in Heaven; this we pray in faith in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Speak a new language of love about God to those you know!

Receive my blessings of joy and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

The Counselor and Advocate

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Listen to the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3fr84Xe

26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 NIV)

May a marvelous Monday be yours, ConCafe Family! May this work week be filled with opportunities to share the love and name of Jesus our Lord and Savior, dear Friend. And as we pray, let us lift high the name of God Who answers prayer! My cousin Bobbie Padilla is now fully awake and no longer needs a lung transplant! We remember she had been in a coma due to Covid for a long time, and we rejoice that she is doing so well. Please pray this continue with her. Also, Daniel Soliz was released on Saturday as he expected, and is home; pray that God would bless him with a full victory over cancer. I have not received any updates on James Dorff, but we pray that he be holding his own. Prayers for all the family members of these brothers who need healing and comfort. LAST MINUTE ADDITION! Please be in prayer for Ms. Sylvia Elisa Gaytan of Dallas, TX, who's undergoing a long back surgery. Pray that all goes well and that she recovers quickly. Sylvia is the daughter of retired UM Pastor, The Rev. Francisco & his wife, Elisa, Gaytan of Edinburg. Pray for him and his wife and all family members. Pray for one another, pray for yourselves.

One of the most interesting authors of the New Testament was a non-Jew (Gentile) physician by the name of Luke. He was a convert to the Christian faith by what he experienced in hearing the gospel about Jesus. So intense was his experience he undertook the arduous task of visiting and interviewing as many of the eye-witnesses he could find who could give him first-hand accounts of what they saw and experienced in seeing the Lord Jesus during his ministry among us. So outstanding was his scholarship that he produced a massive volume of Jesus' life and ministry as well as the respond of that ministry that gave birth to the early Christian church. The church councils that viewed and reviewed the book decided that would cut the book into two parts, making the gospel part the gospel we know as Luke. The history of the church was called The Acts of the Apostles. Part of the reason for this division also was that the church authorities believed that more introductory material was needed on the Holy Spirit, so they took the gospel of John called the spiritual gospel in the middle so that people would better undertstand the third person of the godhead. This passage we will study today is part of the desired information the Church wanted us in later generations to have to better receive the work of God the Holy Spirit.

John recorded Jesus as speaking of the Holy Spirit as being first an Advocate. the One who speak on our behalf. An Advocate is fully vested in us and will do all that needs to be done on our behalf to grant us the victory over whatever we are facing. Jesus also said the Advocate would come from the Father, and is The Spirit of Truth, Who would speak on our behalf as a trusted and truthful witness. We too, must testify, but the Holy Spirit gives to us what we should say. The first and best of what we can share is what God has done for us.

The mere fact that Jesus was sharing this was received with grief because it meant that He was going to leave behind His disciples. Yesterday, Nellie and I had a chance to watch a little of The Chosen and I was struck by how much the 12 needed and wanted to have Jesus with them all the time. In one scene, Jesus dismisses Himself as He goes to pray and is met with questions as to where He is going, and how long He would be gone, and where could they find Him in case they needed Him. And we remember that after His crucifixion, the 12 knew only to stay together in the Upper Room behind locked doors. They did not quite understand that Jesus' real presence on the earth after His departure would be the Holy Spirit. "Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. When He comes, He will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned." Quite a work assignment! Yet, it has all been taken care of! The Holy Spirit has taken care of the three; we are to believe and follow the example of each; by staying away from sin, for we know that sin leads only to death. We are to seek righteousness, for it leads to God; and judgement will come to all, with the chief recipient being the devil for he stand already condemned, but we know that we too will stand in judgment for our actions and decisions.

Jesus also promises that "When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that He will receive what He will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what He will make known to you." The Holy Spirit became the way to stay connected to Jesus. He makes truth known and if we speak on behalf of the Lord, we are sharing what Jesus needs shared on His behalf. The primary task is to make known Jesus' name in a positive way (Glorifying Him), and our praying and listening gives us that which we need as we continue our journey of faith in His name and spirit.

This passage reminds me of our children and our grandchildren. They go through different stages of dependency and trust. Our oldest, Nellie Maria, when she learned how to crawl, stayed primarily on a blanket that Mom would put on the floor for her. I remember one night when she crawled to the very edge and stopped, looked back at us, smiled and did her little noise of "look at me," and put her little hand on the space just beyond the blanket. It was solid, so again, she looked back, smiled and crawled off the blanket and onto the floor. She stopped when she was completely off, looked back again, made her little noise and crawled off into the hallway. This was a major achievement from the days when she had to have us in plain sight or she would not be happy. And our newest, Eli Ryan, is stuck on that stage. He only falls asleep in the arms of those who love him. If we try to place him on the bed or his crib, he's immediately aware that we are not with him and he cries. Jesus knew the first steps of these disciples and new believers would be just like that. We measure our steps and feel better knowing we are not alone. The coming of the Advocate was that assurance that the Church still needs to make our way forward and upward. We have One who holds our hands and guides us, if we but trust; but the work on the road ahead will depend on our full trust we place on Him. Don't hold back! There's a great big harvest field ready for the picking if we take the right steps in faith and trust.

PRAYER: Loving God, guide us on, with trust in us. Increase the trust we should have in You so that our progress will be ever forward and upward, reaching those we have not yet reached; and doing that which has not yet been done. Yours is the victory; the kingdom and the glory! Take us with You in that way; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be bold and courageous in all that God has asked you to do! He is with you!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Sin Saloon & Smart Mouth College?

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Listen to the devotional: https://bit.ly/3tIwW1U

1 How well God must like you - you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College. 2 Instead you thrill to God's Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. 3 You're a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom. 4 You're not at all like the wicked, who are mere windblown dust - 5 Without defense in court, unfit company for innocent people. 6 God charts the road you take. The road they take is Skid Row. (Psalm 1 The Message) 1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (Psalm 1 NIV)

May a tremendous Thursday be yours, ConCafe Family! And may you blossom and bloom in all ways for the Lord, dear Friend. As we spend time in prayer today, I ask prayers for Mr. Daniel Soliz of Dallas, who has been in the hosptial for six days suffering from a collapsed lung, and the Lord willing, may be discharged on Saturday. May our prayers continue for Mr. Jim Dorff, still in hospice care in Dallas, also. Prayers for both families of Mr. Soliz and Mr. Dorff. Also, please pray for Ms. Juanita Blundell of Gonzales, who faces spinal surgery next Tuesday in San Antonio; may God bless her with a successful surgery and a good recovery. Pray for one another; and pray for yourselves.

The psalm for this coming Sunday is the first one, Psalm 1. For our consideration, I have shared both The Message Bible and the New International Version, so that we can compare the original intent of the psalmist. The modern version brings out the fullness of classic words like blessed, the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. "How well God must like you -you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College." More than likely, you've never read that into the original version. Both are clear that we should be among positive people who love the Lord. Yet, the modern version shows a colorful description of those places of temptation; Sin Saloon, Dead-End Road, and Smart-Mouth College. Now be honest, you know people who fit into one or more of the three, right? This version was written by The Late Rev. Dr. Eugene Peterson, a professor and pastor, and a friend to the members of the Irish rock band, U2. He wanted the Bible to be on a level where most everyone could understand what was behind the scriptures that might not be evident too all people who are not professors or pastors. His descriptions show the seriousness of what could derail the Christian's desire to walk with the Lord. It sounds like the Sin Saloon serves more than drinks; that Dead-End Road does not lead to places of life and life's wonderful opportuunities; and while many of us may have the spirit jersey from our days there, as students or cheerleaders, of Smart-Mouth College. Those from that "school" are not known for motivating or inspiring Christians - their calling is to pull down, or knock down, and generally serve as obstacles between them and the Lord. Compare that to what we should be about: Thrilled to hear and learn God's Word, to the point we feast on Scriptures day and night; which has led us to be like trees planted along the richness of a stream or river, straight from Eden itself; and producing the fruits that bless the kingdom of God, and strong in the Lord, always blossoming and bearing fruit. We are not like windblown dust that the wicked are. The wicked will find themselves without counsel in God's court, certainly bound for conviction and sentencing. Not so for the faithful, for God guides us; the wicked are bound for Skid Row. Which was an older way of saying, a place of desolation and destruction.

I would pray this brings us to a point of reflection. What roads have we taken? What decision have we made? Where do we find ourselves at this point of our lives? Does the future look hopeful and promising, or are we fearful of what may come next. Regardless, God still leads us and the future is not yet; we can change our direction, we can ask for forgiveness, and head where God may be leading us; choosing life over death; the fullnes of life over the dead-end trail of sin. You're not at that point yet! As long as we have breath and reason, let us choose the options God offers us, not what the devil would like us to choose.

PRAYER: Loving God, rekindle in us hope and may the fire of Your Holy Spirit fall afresh on us to make us truly alive and alert to the dangers of some options that have come our way; guide us to the fullness of life so that we may choose wisely and bring honor and glory to Thy name. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Live a life that radiates hope!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

From the Minors to the Majors!

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Listen to the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3y8fhEq

15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, 16 "Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus— 17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry." 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection." 23 So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed and said, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 NRSV)

Happy and Blessed Wednesday, ConCafe Family! May joys be yours today as you move forward in the Lord, dear Friend! Good report regarding Joyce Harris' surgery; all went well, the surgeon is pleased, and we pray for a great recovery! Thank you for your prayers!

The crowd that believed in Jesus and who followed Him around was "about one hundred twenty persons," which includes the 12, minus one Judas Iscariot. The 120 were right there watching and experiencing first-hand the experiences, miracles, rejections, acceptances, et al, that Jesus was doing. I beleive it was a privilege and a once-in-a -lifetime experience to have been right there at the crucial turning event in history; God's Son in ministry in the world in the flesh. Your life would never be the same. The stories you would tell would border on "I can't believe that" on the part of your listeners." I would probably weep at trying to share how I had seen Jairus' daughter brought back to life. I lie, I would be openly sobbing! And there at Lazarus' tomb and seeing and hearing Jesus weep; gosh, again, sob city. Then, the actual coming out of the tomb experience would have been something awesome. I would have known right then that I was now a supernatural person, having seen things that I could not explain. The list would go on and on; and we come to the night that Judas betrayed Jesus. The anger and desire to do something to Judas was hindered by the fear of what the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman soliders were capable of; Judas might be well protected at all times. News of his suicide would have saddened the group even with the knowledge that he had betrayed Jesus; and here in the safety of the Upper Room, this meeting is held to talk about Judas' replacement. Peter calls this person, "a witness with us to His resurrection." Two names are brought forward for consideration as replacement for Judas. The first name was Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus; the second name was Matthias. Beyond their names, not much is known.Some believe him to be among the 70 disciples sent by Jesus on that special mission. Legend also has him becoming the Bishop of Eleutheropolis, where he died a martyr and is venerated as Saint Justus of Eleutheropolis. Yet he was not chosen as the succesor of Judas. The one elected, by a game of chance called Lots, was Matthias. That election elevated him from the minors to the majors, to use a baseball term. But, to have been among the 120 was a major thing in and of itself, but to be selected as one of the Twelve was a MAJOR deal.

Dear one, even today, to be a follower of Jesus Christ, is a major deal. As we read yesterday, God is our witness to our belonging to Christ and as such have eternal life. And as God is our witness, we serve a Risen Savior, and as such we have seen and heard and experienced a lot, in fact, enough with which to share with others about a better way to live. We are the new witnesses like Matthias, of Who Jesus is, and can be, in the lives of those who surrender to Him.

Many ask, "Does God really need more witnesses?" Yes. Honestly, we should be willing witnesses, blessed and thankful for all God has done for us, instead of feeling drafted and pressed into service, and forced to give witness to a loving God. Love God enough to talk positively about God, and realize that in so doing, we might just be saving people's souls for all eternity. This morning I was sitting at the CVS here in Seguin when I heard a loud thump on the window. I looked out and saw a sparrow laying on the sidewalk. It apparently flew into it and was injured. How seriously, I did not know. I went outside and saw it was on its side. I gently turned it and it went on both legs. I poured some water on the lid of my water bottle and placed it in front of it. It did not take the water but opened its beak and closed it, as if saying something and it flew off. As I shared the story with Nellie, she said, "It was saying thank you!" I said, "I hope so!" The thing is, I did my part; small and insignificant as it may have been, and whatever we may do on behalf of helping others to come to life, the impact what may happen does not matter, we have been faithful now.

PRAYER: Loving God, make our hearts swell with love for all. We want to be Your witnesses in the lives of those around us in ways that we share the fullness of life. May our witness be faithful, while we allow the fruits to be Yours. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show a witness for Jesus today!

Receive my blessings of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Oh, I Have a Witness!

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Listen to the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3ez9oYN

9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:9-13 NRSV)

Happy Tuesday, ConCafe Family! Wonderful things come to those who trust in the Lord, and I pray you are one of them, Friend! As we pray, please pray for a dear friend, Mr. Rob Rocha of the Dallas area, who finds himself in a lot of pain in one of his ears and as a result cannot hear out of that ear; pray for his healing and his peace. Prayers also for Ms. Joyce Harris of Gonzales, TX, who has fallen and broken her hip and awaits surgery in San Marcos. Pray for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. Prayers also for Ms. Mary Martha Ehrig, who awaits an appointment with an oncologist. May she be blessed by our prayers for healing and strength. Pray for one another, and make time to pray for yourself and your needs.

David Letterman on his television show had a Christmas tradition of having on Mr. Jay Thomas, a radio personality, who would tell the same story each year of hosting a new car dealership opening at which, Mr. Clayton Moore in character as The Lone Ranger. After the opening was over, Mr. Thomas was to drive Mr. Moore to his hotel, and on the way there, in heavy traffic, they could not move. Mr. Thomas is in his 10 year-old Volvo which he said was filled with fast food trash all over. The man in front decides he will not wait and so backs up and breaks the headlight of Mr. Thomas' car. He doesn't stop and takes off. Mr. Thomas and his friend, a music industry representative who had come to visit him, give chase. I should mention that Mr. Thomas said he was the only white guy in town with a huge Afro, and his friend had super long hair. They finally catch up to the guilty party and they cut off his car and confront the man. "You broke my headlight!" The man responds, "I did not!" Mr. Thomas says, "Oh yes, you did!" "What are you going to do about it?" Mr. Thomas says, "I'm going to call the cops!" "Oh yeah, and who do you think they're going to believe? A couple of drug-crazed hippie freaks or me?" At that moment, out pops The Lone Ranger from the car and says, "They'll believe me, Citizen!" David Letterman said it was the best story he had ever heard and thus every Christmas would have Mr. Thomas retell it.

John writes that the best witness we as humans can ever have, is God. When it comes to the matter of eternal life, the witness of God cannot be beat. God has borne witness that His Son died for us, rose from the dead and lives so that we, too, could have eternal life. Those who believe, John writes, have this testimony in their hearts. "Those who do not believe in God have made Him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son." And we know what the testimony is, "God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." And John wrote these things so that we might believe in the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, so that we might know that you have eternal life."

I have shared how many of us, at times, confess we are not sure that we will make it to heaven. "If I get to heaven we say," or "I don't know, I haven't been that good in my life, so I don't know where I'm going when I die." Friends, the witness is ours, from God, that those who have Jesus as their Lord and Savior, have eternal life, which means a life in heaven in the presence of God. Nowhere does the Bible say, "If you are perfect and have never sinned, never had a bad thought, said a bad word, or done a bad thing, then, you just might, and I repeat might, get into heaven..." Nope. That's not in the Bible. Why would the hymn writer write a hymn called "Blessed Assurance?" Why do preachers preach a better way to live and a better way to die, if we were not sure of a better place to which we will go if we belong to Christ Jesus? Doubt and distractions are not from God; they are from the one who would like enough of us to doubt so that we would give up, quit trying to better live our lives, and resign ourselves to the old way of living. Do not be deceived. You and I belong to Christ Jesus and as such should model our lives after Him. God will take care of the rest.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, lift our spirits and our hopes towards You. Guide us on the path that leads to life and let us not be deceived or sidetracked by the enemy. Help us model lives that give witness to what is ours! In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Give proof of your faith in uplifting ways to those around you, especially those who live in doubt!

Receive my blessings of hope and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Jesus' Prayer for Us!

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Hear today's devotional: https://bit.ly/2SGh0QX

6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power ofyour name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (John 17:6-19 NIV)

Happy Monday to you, ConCafe Family! May this day find your wide awake, blessed and refreshed, and ready to face the opportunities and blessings of this day, my Friend! We continue to trust in the Lord as we pray for one another, especially for those with pressing needs before the Lord. We continue to pray for my cousin, Bobbie, whom I learned stands in need of a lung transplant. She also lost one of her ears due to her not being rotated often enough in the hospital where she is. Prayers for her husband and family. Make time to lift your needs before the Lord.

This weekend was Mother's Day. And I remember the day when it was the busiest time of the year to use the telephone. Some of you may not want to admit you remember long distance charges, but you do! A call from one city to another, depending on distance and other factors, could be an expensive enterprise. And many made a call to Mom so they could wish her a happy and blessed day. The telephone company loved the holiday as much, if not more, than Hallmark Cards! What I miss most about my parents being dead is not talking to them. The first years were the toughest when we had so much to share about our daughters and their accomplishments and development. It was such a joy to share with Mom how much they looked like her, shared some mannerisms, did great in school, and the list goes on and on. The silence now is tough.

And while we may not have long distance charges any more, communication between loved ones is important and vital. With almost everyone having a cell phone and most have free long distance calls covered, making and receiving calls from parents and children is relatively easy. Getting your kids to leave a game or a chat with a special person, well, that's another thing altogether. With communication devices as modern and as effective as they've ever been, communication between loved ones is not what it used to be, or what it should be. And prayer, as easy and as powerful as it is, runs a close second, some would argue, first, in neglect and usage.

Today's passage is all about prayer and the special place it had in Jesus' life. It was His lifeline and life of support. Jesus was truly a man of prayer. We can't forget He was fully human and fully divine. He needed and loved prayer. It was His way of staying in touch with His Father; He could share what was on His heart and mind, and God would respond to Him with exactly the words He needed to hear and use. The pressures and stress of this world on His life and ministry made prayer vital to His success. In this passage, Jesus is openly talking to God and sharing just what has been happening in His life and in the life of the twelve whom He called into ministry with Him. And in the opening verses of this passage, Jesus says clearly that He is praying for them, "for those You have given me, for they are Yours." Wow! Jesus truly loves and wants to bless the twelve in marvelous ways. He knew what lay ahead for all of them, and prayer would be the only way all of them would make it. Prayer is like those phone calls I would make to my Mom when I was in college and starting to have exams and tests. I would study but I would also wait in line for the one pay phone in the dorm. Kids, ask grandma or grandpa what a pay phone was. Ours was a super interesting, to put it nicely, because there was only one operator at night in Jacksonville and sometimes her questions were more than what one would be willing to answer. I cannot remember the exact conversation I had to have with her and still could not get her to dial my home phone in Houston. Question after question, and probing ones at that, and I finally said, "Never mind, I'll send a carrier pigeon!" I told those waiting to use the phone, "When she calls back, you don't know my name or where I went!" They laughed. I think they had been through that before as well. The phone call that did matter was when I could speak to my Mom, answer her loving questions and then share with her the upcoming exam. "Have you studied?" Yes, ma'am. "Are you ready?" I will be! "Mom and I will pray for you." Yes! That's what I wanted and needed to hear; that prayers would soon be on their way to the Throne of God where these two dear ladies would plead on my behalf the great need that I had shared with them. Jesus' prayers were a bit more stressed than mine, and I respect and honor those; but you get the point - we all need to stay connected, and in touch with God our Father. Jesus mentions key words and ingredients of prayer; glory, protection, power in God's name, safety, joy (a full measure of such), and protection again. Oh yes, sanctification by truth, and the commission to go into the world to work on God's behalf. It is important to note that such work is best done under the covering of sanctification; the purifying power of God's sacredness upon us; a purifying and making holy of us, is a process that takes all our lives to accomplish. Remember Wesley's added dimension, that he expected to be made perfect in love in this life. Not by his own strength or merits, but by those of King Jesus at work in us. My phone calls to my mother and grandmother were the assurance to me that I would be under the protection of God in my academic journey at college and beyond; an armor plating on me that I needed as I waged war against him who would have rather I do something else with my life.

Dear friend, what battles have you been fighting, and how have you clothed yourself? Paul made it clear in his epistle that fighting the battles against the devil are best fought wearing the armor of God; and this prayer shows that Jesus was way ahead of Paul in asking such clothing for Himself as well as His disciples, for He knew they would win in the end, thanks to the nonstop prayers He lifted up on their behalf; and when we ask of Him, on our behalf even today. There is no need to feel weak, or vulnerable; with Christ Jesus praying on our behalf, more than half the battle is won; our faith and our obedience will carry us on through, and God will receive the honor and the glory and the blessings shared will bless those with whom we live and work.

Pray. Pray. And pray again. Develop a holy habit of constantly praying in your life. Thought prayers, silently lifted up, are heard by God. Prayers of moans and aches of pain are also lifted up and interpreted by the Holy Spirit; we are not now, or ever, alone. We stand in the presence of He who loves us and goes with us. Take full advantage of that today!

PRAYER: Loving God, as we pray, we pray that Your will be done in all that we are facing. We pray for strength, wisdom, courage, and the faith to be obedient and triumphant. Lift up our sorrows, hears our sighs as praise, and our cries as that which will bless us ultimately; in Christ Jesus our Lord we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Pray for as many people as you can today; ask God to give them for whom you pray, victory after victory!

Receive my prayers of victory for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde

¿Siempre Lo Mismo? Always the Same Thing?

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Listen to the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3xMoWjz

1 Sing to God a brand-new song. He's made a world of wonders! He rolled up his sleeves, He set things right. 2 God made history with salvation, He showed the world what he could do. 3 He remembered to love us, a bonus To his dear family, Israel - indefatigable love. The whole earth comes to attention. Look - God's work of salvation! 4 Shout your praises to God, everybody! Let loose and sing! Strike up the band! 5 Round up an orchestra to play for God, Add on a hundred-voice choir. 6 Feature trumpets and big trombones, Fill the air with praises to King God. 7 Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, With everything living on earth joining in. 8 Let ocean breakers call out, "Encore!" And mountains harmonize the finale - 9 A tribute to God when he comes, When he comes to set the earth right. He'll straighten out the whole world, He'll put the world right, and everyone in it. (Psalm 98 The Message Bible)

A very Happy Thursday to you ConCafe Family, and my it be filled with blessings for you, wonderful Friend! May we together lift up our prayers and praise to the Lord today, not only in this devotional setting but in our ways of greeting, blessing, and interacting with others!

This coming Sunday is Mother's Day. It is a special day to honor our mothers. For some, it is a sad day because Mom has gone home to the Lord; others rejoice in having their moms; others are moms for the first time; and it really honors (or should) the women of the church for many are "mothers" in their own way to many. So, a Blessed, Safe, and Happy Mothers Day to all of our female ConCafe Family members! May God bless you and provide for you according to your needs.

Along those lines, what gifts does a mother deserve from her child? Well, let's start off with the obvious, love. A child that does not love his or her mother may have their reasons, but if those reasons are not truly justified, then some corrections, conversations, and remedies need to occur. The second gift should be the gift of respect. Yes, no mother is completely perfect and neither are we; but for their role in having brought us into the world, they merit top respect; and even if that was the last good act or deed she has done for you, still, you need to show respect to her and of her to others. And when you get to other gifts, well, that's between you and your pocketbook and your relationship with your mother. I say all this because this psalm as it speaks about our relationship with God, we are called to do more and go beyond what we normally offer. Yes, another dish towel or oven mitt are nice gifts, but if that's what she got last year, she may catch on that you don't want to go beyond the usual and share something that inspires her to greatness. Fathers, you know about ties. Remember ties? That long piece of fabric with designs not usually found in nature that begs us to place a noose around our necks thinking it makes us look nice. Okay, I will confess that I both love and hate ties. I don't much for what has become the norm of no tie and just a jacket and a nice dress shirt; but I am old. But when it comes to God, are we sharing with Him spiritual oven mitts and ties all the time?

The psalmist is saying, as we praise Him you might be inspired to sing a brand-new song that more aptly reflects the love and appreciation we have for God. After all, the psalmist writes, God made ''a world of wonders," and are we truly comfortable honoring and praising Him with something not wonderful? As "God rolled up His sleeves," to "set things right," so should we worship in a way that shows our hearts and souls and might were in the preparation and delivery of our worship to Him. After all, this gift of salvation is a pretty big deal, which means in God's heart, we're a pretty big deal and as such, should honor Him in the same way. I think a failing of the Church, which means I have had a part in it, as have most of us; is that we get comfortable really quickly and once we're in that "recliner mode" of praise, nothing can get us out of it. I once did a series of sermons on the Ten Commandments and I had our janitor bring in an old recliner we had somewhere in our building into the sanctuary and I came in wearing a bath robe over my sweatpants and sweat shirt; I came in with my piping hot tea and a copy of the Sunday newspaper. Most of the service I did not participate; I sat comfortably while everyone else stood and sat, prayed and sang; I sipped and read. Yes, I angered my choir, but what else was new? I then rose and preached that the commandment on coveting hit home in me. Yes, there are some Sundays, I admitted where I would rather stay home than come and preach and worship. But, thanks to God's help, I overcome that and fully and wholeheartedly, participate in what is a very real part of my life. But, boy is that temptation strong to stay seated, or reclined, or even in bed; when we should be inspired and moved to worship God in new ways. The psalmist has painted a great vivid picture complete with sound, of what a full-blown worship experience can be, if we but let it and do the work needed to make it meaningful to God and to us.

Oh, but God bless those who oppose such things. I can still remember the "guitar wars" of the 60s; and I've heard about the "electricity wars" of the 20s, the "microphone wars" of the 30s and 40s; the "air conditioning versus funeral home fans" wars of the 50s; and the 90s "screens in the worship space" wars of the 2000s; and the list goes on and on. We must remember, we are there to worship and please only God. Not us. And though there may be opposition, God must be worshiped in ways that honor Him in the way God deserves. Nature, the psalmist writes, is far ahead of us; nature does not know how to hold back anything, and neither should we.

PRAYER: Awesome God, please forgive our sameness and our reluctance and our holding back. You are a God who goes and does; and still find it in Your heart to love and forgive us, in spite of who we are. Move us to truly worship you with truly open hearts and filled spirits, for You are truly worth it. Move us to greatness in the ways we show the world how truly awesome You are; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Worship in a new way right now, right where you are! And practice that until the next time you are in church!

Receive my love and blessings of joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

"Fall Afresh on Me!"

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Listen to the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3vKTBMf

44 While Peter was still saying this, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. 45 And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, 47 "Can any one forbid water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days. (Acts 10:44-48 NRSV)

Happy Wednesday, ConCafe Family! May God's love fall afresh on you and may His Holy Spirit also fall afresh on you as you hear what great things the Holy Spirit did in today's passage! May you, dear Friend, be on fire for the Lord Jesus in every part of your day! Friends, I shared in yesterday's devotional about prayers for Mrs. Catherine Winegeart, Felicia Winegeart Cantu's aunt; sadly, she passed away on Tuesday night. We ask continued prayers for the family as they seek and need God's comfort during these days. We continue to pray for each other and for ourselves.

The Holy Spirit is one of the three in the Godhead; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is alive and well, thank you very much and still as active and as strong as ever; moving, shaking, healing, guiding, comforting (the list is long!)and as many other assignments God the Father may give to Him. There are some who do not believe the Holy Spirit has done anything since the writing of the Bible. These believe that the Holy Spirit did His work and was retired to Heaven. I beg to differ; God never retires; nor will Jesus.

The passage is about the mission of Peter as he shared God's word in the home of a Roman centurion by the name of Cornelius. Cornelius was a God-fearing man, devout to the Lord, as was his family. He was known for his generosity in helping the needy and for his prayers. And it was during his time of prayer with the Lord that an angel came to visit him and told him that his prayers had been a blessing to God and as a result he was to send for a man named Simon, called Peter, to come and eat with him. Simon Peter was in Joppa when this happened. Those of you who already know this story know that while Peter was in prayer, he too had a vision from God about a net filled with what the Jews deemed as "unclean" meaning not fit for human consumption; yet the voice with the vision told Peter to "Get up, kill and eat." Yikes! "Surely not," Peter gulped; "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." And this happened three times meaning that Peter was adamant about not going against the law, but soon realized he was going up against God. And while this was concluding, here comes the servants and messengers from Cornelius and Peter realized that he was indeed to go to this home and do what God was asking.

This was a key experience in the life and ministry of Peter. He now realized the Gospel was for all people and not just Jews. God was the God of all people, and the sacrifice of Jesus also, was for all who believed and accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. And as Peter is concluding his sermon there at Cornelius' home, the Holy Spirit arrived and fell on all who heard the word preached by Peter. And this was witnessed by "circumcised" believers, meaning Jewish males. You will remember there was later a controversy between converted Jews and converted non-Jews; for now just note they saw how God did honor the Gentiles with this baptism of the Holy Spirit. Evidence in those days was marked by the speaking in tongues (other languages) by non-trained people in those languages. (Please re-read or remember Acts 2 where the manifestation of the Holy Spirit were the disciples all speaking in other languages and speaking of the goodness of God among those present for the Festival of Pentecost. As I was driving on the Interstate a pickup truck passed me with a bright Jak Se Mas? bumpersticker and I remembered that General Conference of some years ago when I was approaching the elevators, another delegate was there whose name tag identified him from Czechoslovakia and I greeted him with the complete greeting in Czech and he got very excited, hugged me and began telling me what I believe was his life story or at least how good it was to meet someone who spoke Czech and I had to let him finish and tell him that that was all I knew! He was still happy and we spoke about the number of Czech speakers we have in Texas. It was that connection that we both enjoyed that made what happened in Acts 2 all the more powerful; and this event at Cornelius' home also very powerful.

Peter is led by the Spirit to ask why these new believers should not be baptized with water; after all they had just been baptized with fire; and they were all baptized in the name of Jesus Christ; and the entire experience merited Peter's presence among them for "some days."

There are some days either on Sunday or during a retreat or event where we truly do not want the experience to end. I have experienced that many times in my life, and so I can identify with these new believers wanting to know more about God, about Jesus, and about all the Holy Spirit might ask of them. It is very sad to see a blessing come to an end; not to say it doesn't continue, but it blesses in a different setting or way and we tend to believe it is over. And I think of a pastor who said he likes hiding his Moses costume under his pew when he visits another church just in case the sermon goes long, and he can put it on and shout, "Let my people go!"

PRAYER: Father, may we never ask to be let go of You, Your love, presence, power and blessing. May our hearts ache for more of what goodness only You can share with us, so that we can share it with others. May the Holy Spirit truly fall afresh on us to melt us, mold us, and use us! In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Seek to be a vessel of the Holy Spirit in all you do today!

Receive my blessings of peace and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Conquer the World!

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Listen in to today's devotional: https://bit.ly/3nLvvyv

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4 for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. 5 Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6 This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. (1 John 5:1-6 NRSV)

A tremendous Tuesday could be yours if you first put it in God's hands, ConCafe Family! And may that bring the blessings to you, dear Friend. A solid day is one grounded in prayer; so pray for one another; make time to pray for yourselves. Please add to your prayer list, the name of Ms. Leslie Slater Hill, who is the aunt of Ms. Wendy Allen; Leslie underwent a lung procedure and has been having difficulty coming off the ventilator; pray for her strength and recovery. Also, please continue to pray for the family of Ms. Catherine Winegeart, grandmother of Ms. Felicia Cantu, of Gonzales, TX, who last night went home to be with the Lord Jesus. May God comfort all who love and miss her.

What a title for a devotional; Conquer the World; more so because in light of the world conflicts we have in our history and even some that may yet come; this is radically different. Where global conflicts have usually been fueled by greed and ambition; this worldwide conquest is driven only by love. And it's the kind of love that goes beyond the hopeful songs we have heard in our lifetime; it goes to truly loving one another in order to let love rule in our lives; a faith filled with love in the heart of one who loves and is born of God will be able to do miraculous things for the honor and glory of God. I wish I could say that our history as a Church that follows and believes in the Lord Jesus Christ was a pure and blameless one, but it is not. It is a human organization that gives fuel to what I used to half-jokingly say as a district superintendent; "Jesus said where two or three are gathered, there might be trouble." Of course, Jesus did not say such a thing; His was pure: Where two or three are gathered in my name, there will I be also. And indeed, gathering in the name of Jesus is an invitation for His presence to be with us and to guide and lift us above the limited realm of our humanness.

A friend and I were discussing just this morning, the things that some third world countries see because of their openness to God and God's Holy Spirit to move among them. When people have faith and a great need, and the resources for that need are not as readily available as in first world countries, mighty and unexplainable things occur. My friend traveled to South America and was part of the Spirit's movements that did amazing things for people in need. Another friend witnessed first hand what God can do in countries such as India; and we wonder why we don't see as much here in the United States. In terms of medical needs, we have it all; an illness comes along and we either try to treat it at home or when it gets bad enough we go to our doctor or an urgent care center, or a hospital; in some countries, only God provides the urgent care in ways that we cannot understand. And in places where love is present, love can take the form of a conquering force, even in the midst of hate and oppression. Jesus' own kind and the ones whom we would have supposed would have welcomed news of a Messiah already present and working among them; but we find these provided the most resistance and the greatest force to kill Jesus just to silence Him. And even in the midst of these hateful killers, one of the Twelve remembered and shared the words of hope he found in Jesus' teachings. From the locked and closed doors of the Upper Room, to the streets of Jerusalem, then to the ends of the world, men and women followers of Christ Jesus gave their lives to show the power of God's love.

John tries to explain this teaching in the context of how it was received; Jesus shared commandments for us to follow and the disciple sees the blessings of love being possible through obedience to those commands. In Jesus we find the One who was willing to suffer the ultimate price of death to conquer the world in a saving way. Jesus' sole purpose was to bring the world back to God in love. No matter how far we may see ourselves, God's love is within reach and ready to be shared by us, for the good of the world, and the glory of God.

PRAYER: Loving God, empower me with love; the world-conquering love that we need to share so that others may come to know love. Conquering the world begins with our conquering hate, defeating doubt, and removing silly barriers, ages old obstacles that ignorance allowed to breed and be among us; in Christ we can truly win the world over with and for, love. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Love in ways that bring forth love for God and for others.

Receive my blessings of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Love One Another!

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Listen to today's Podcast here: https://bit.ly/33bxMtf

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other. (John 15:9-17)

A very happy and blessed Monday to you, ConCafe Family! May God bless you and keep you, dear one! May our prayers lift our faith and bring blessings to those in need. Pray for one another, pray for yourselves! I ask again, why do we pray? Because God answers prayer! One of my cousins in Chicago, for whom we have been praying as she battles Covid, has opened her eyes and is responding to questions! This is amazing and we praise God; please continue to pray for her and her sister. May God bless you in your daily challenges and opportunities. And just now I read on FB about my cousin, Joe Jimenez, of Kingsville, who is on life support fighting for his life after having coded three times on Friday. He is the older brother to Xavier who died two months ago of Covid, their mother four months ago; so you can imagine how the family is doing; please join the fight for life in your prayers. Thank you!

I pray none of you is a stranger to love. I know there are some, but be aware of this; God loves you! I cannot emphasize that enough, that when we feel alone or isolated, or unwanted, or abandoned; there is One who has never NOT loved you or given up on you! And that is our God. And our God further demonstrated His love through sending His Son, Jesus to the world. I've mentioned this show before, and I pray you don't get tired of hearing from it, but I don't get to see this in Houston, and since that's where Nellie and I have been serving, we don't have access to the channel that shows it. This being Sunday morning, and our having worshiped online, I turned to it and we saw the episode where Nicodemus, a well-respected teacher of the Law, has come to realize that there is more to the law then just the written word; his life becomes one of awe and wonder as he sees and witnesses miracles that he himself said, "Only God could do such things!" The show has him witness the miracle of Mary Magdalene having the legion of demons driven out of her; and also the miracle of the man lowered from the roof to the feet of Jesus Who grants him new life in his legs. He begs Mary Magdalene to set up a meeting with Jesus at night so that he can ask him some questions. The scene is wonderfully done with Nicodemus truly a questioning Jesus about all he had seen and done by our Lord. He truly begins to understand the love behind the Law, and how it relates even to him. Also, Matthew, the young, talented and commited servant of Rome, come to faith as he too witnesses unexplainable things that Jesus did, and when Jesus tells him to "Follow me," he bucks the Roman guard assigned to him to protect him, as he says he must follow Jesus.

Jesus speaks to those who are also experiencing the loving actions of a savior; and His invitation is for us to "remain in (His) love." And how? Jesus responds, "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love." And being in Christ's love makes our lives more joyful. And if we know we are loved, we should love others. His command; "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." And then Jesus explains this type of love, "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known you to you." Wow! From being servants of the Lord, to friends. No higher honor or recognition; to go from one who works for one, than to being that same one's friend. And in talking about what Jesus said next, about God choosing us; in the show, The Chosen (mentioned above), it goes back to 1952 BC, as Jacob has his 12 sons digging that famous well named for him. A Canaanite man greets him and they have a brief conversation about God; and the stranger wants to know why he could choose to believe in an invisible god, whose promises take generations to fulfill, make you sojourn in strange places, and who would break his hip and to set him on a hill where he would never find water! As he says this, one of the sons shouts to Dad, "Hurry!" And they hurry to the shallow hole as water is springing forth. Jacob turns to his new friend and says, "He chose us!" Indeed, God has chosen you and me, to go and bear fruit -- fruit that will last -- and so that whatever you asks in my name the Father will give you." And the first fruit, is the greatest fruit, that you and I would love one another. And we know that Jesus meant for us to love all people, no exceptions, no defined boundaries or requirements; all people!

So, dear one, we have our work laid out for us to follow and obey; to go to all people and speak of love, the greatest love from a loving God so that we might be in a living, loving, eternal relationship that begins here on the earth and will go with us to eternal life.

PRAYER: Loving God, fill us with that love, so that we can go forth and serve You as we love people. Help us to look beyond what used to turn away or look down on others, to fully see what You see; a person of worth and value, and one whom merits our love. May it be the start of new love among us as we seek to erase that that used to start or perpetuate conflict; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show your love to someone you used to avoid!

Receive my blessings of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Worship As a Way of Life!

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Listen to today's devotional right here: https://bit.ly/3vyKmPv

25 Here in this great gathering for worship I have discovered this praise-life. And I'll do what I promised right here in front of the God-worshipers. 26 Down-and-outers sit at God's table and eat their fill. Everyone on the hunt for God is here, praising him. "Live it up, from head to toe. Don't ever quit!" 27 From the four corners of the earth people are coming to their senses, are running back to God. Long-lost families are falling on their faces before him. 28 God has taken charge; from now on he has the last word. 29 All the power-mongers are before him - worshiping! All the poor and powerless, too - worshiping! Along with those who never got it together - worshiping! 30 Our children and their children will get in on this As the word is passed along from parent to child. 31 Babies not yet conceived will hear the good news - that God does what he says. (Psalm 22:25-31 The Message Bible)

Happy Thursday, ConCafe Family! I praise God for you and your faithfulness! I pray this day be a special, wonderful day in every regard; may the healing you have been needing, and the peace you have been seeking, be completely and totally yours; in the name of Jesus I pray, amen! Please be in prayer for Mr. Jim Dorff, former bishop of our conference, who is in hospice care in Dallas. Prayers for his wife, Barbara and their family. May God share peace and comfort to all should be our prayer. And in a word of personal privilege, Nellie and I give God praise for the blessing He shared with us in the birth of our fifth grandchild, Adabelle Grace Garcia. She has blessed our lives and brought us much joy! And I'm happy that she's very much a Grandpa's girl! Happy Birthday, Ada! God bless you with many more! Also I ask that you please continue to pray for those who weigh heavily on your heart; for those on your church's prayer list, and for you and your needs.

When did you realize that you truly enjoyed worship? My realization came on that Sunday morning when I invited Jesus to come into my heart to become Lord and Savior of my life. I was 8 or 9 years old, and the sermon and invitation shared with us by our pastor made sense and I wanted what God was offering. No longer did I have to trudge along with the family; now I was excited that I could attend church and be a part of a larger faith community. I felt bad when we would study or hear about parts of the world where people could not freely worship, having to hide their religious services from government authorities, risking death by just being a believer. I heard about those same countries where unannounced visitors would be part of a government raid. I remember hearing from and later becoming friends with a man from one of those countries who was arrested and jailed in a federal prison in that country because he was a believer in Jesus Christ. For many days the soldiers would take this man out to the firing squad area, blindfold him, give him a last cigarette and then they would loudly assemble the firing squad where the commander would give the usual, "Ready! Aim! Fire!" shooting blanks in his direction. They did this repeatedly and then allowed him his freedom and granted him a trip to the USA. I cannot imagine having to undergo what that man did; but it made my faith stronger as it did for this man who became a United Methodist pastor as a result of this new, strong faith.

The psalmist had a heart for worship; where he loved to be in the presence of God and other like-minded worshipers, and sing, pray, listen, sing some more, and rejoice that they had been able to worship God. Their celebration also allowed for various expressions of spiritual nourishment to take place so that he was able to write, "Down-and-outers sit at God's table and eat their fill. Everyone on the hunt for God is here, praising Him. 'Live it up, from head to toe. Don't ever quit.'" Many have been the times I have gathered to worship as spiritually hungry as I could be, feeling like he said as a down-and-out-er; and then being filled with God's nourishment and me eating my fill of that delicious word and leaving full and renewed and recharged. The psalmist adds a prophetic word of hope; that people from the four corners of the world would come back to God. Long-lost families would rejoin and fall on their faces before the Lord in gratitude for new life and peace. This coming new day, he writes, "God has taken charge; from now on He has the last word." And an amen to that; that applies to every aspect of our lives; when the doctors have said one thing, we rejoice that God may have another word. My dad had a first cousin that three times had been checked out of hospice care! When the world had written him off, God has the last word. When the bank said you don't qualify for this type of vehicle, God has a different opinion, and off you drive in a better car.

This coming new day, and again, God knows when it will be; we do not; but even "power-mongers are before Him - worshiping!" And others, far socially and economically from others such as power mongers; they too will be there, worshiping! "Our children and their children, will get in on this," and even those not even yet conceived will hear the good news - that God does what He says." Amen.

Dear one, I pray that whatever uncertainties have plagued your peace recently find this these words that which brings hope and comfort for you. God does what He says; not just in the past or from the pages of the Old Testament; even from the pages of the New Testament to the pages from our lives, God writes a new story for us; a better story, where God has authored a narrative that brings blessings to what we thought was already written in a terrible or tragic way.

PRAYER: Amazing God, Father and Comforter of us all; speak life in our lives especially in those areas where we thought the story had already ended, and give us new life, new hope, and a new peace. And may we receive it with the attitude that allows us to not only receive, but share with others. We know that You do what You say; and we praise You and love You, and we pray in faith, and in the name of Jesus our Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Make this a day of hope with all you say, think, and do with all people.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Filled with Jesus & Led by His Spirit

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Listen to today's devotional here: https://bit.ly/3eyRdS8

26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 31 He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth." 34 The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" 37 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. (Acts 8:26-40 NRSV)

May this Wednesday find you in a wonderful place; anxious to hear God speak to you in marvelous ways. Use this opportunity, dear one, to find new ways to serve Christ in your life. Make time for demonstrating God's love with all people. Use that time also in prayer, lifting up the names of those who need God's blessings on and in their lives. Please pray for one another; pray for yourself as well.

We meet Philip the Evangelist, whom some believe we first met in Acts 6:5, who along with Stephen was chosen as servants known as deacons. He was a faithful follower of Jesus, and as such was filled with God's Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be ready to be taken to the next big adventure; and this story clearly shows us that when the Spirit says move, we move! At least Philip did! God sent an angel who told Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." Here we find the four key words in God's commands to His people; Get up and go! We find this in almost all passages where God orders a major move or action from one of His followers. It takes faith to say yes and double faith to get up, then triple faith to go! Imagine being sent down a road without a real clue as to what to do or whom to meet. But as always happens in God-ordained situations, the need makes itself very obvious. In this case on this isolated road, he meets up with a foreign government official who, while seated in his chariot, he is reading the prophet Isaiah. As Philip nears the chariot, the Spirit said to him to join the chariot. Getting closer, he hears the official reading out loud the words from Isaiah, "Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open His mouth. In His humiliation justice was denied Him. Who can describe His generation? For His life is taken away from the earth." So, naturally, Philip asks is he understands what he is reading. The official replies with a question, "Who are they talking about?" And this was why Philip was there because he took the opportunity to share the good news about Jesus. And Philip did such a good job, the official was ready to be baptized at that point and time. And he asks for baptism for himself by pointing out some water. The chariot is ordered to stop, and the two of them enter the water and Philip baptized him. When he comes up out of the water, Philip is snatched away by the Spirit, and the official saw him no more. Philip finds himself in another setting where he begins to share the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Philip, along with Stephen and the other deacons, volunteered to wait on tables. This was not a menial job, it was an important task of believers for new believers. This could be considered front-line ministry of the Spirit-led kind as we read about in the opening verses of chapter 6 in Acts. As a result of a complaint about unfair treatment of one racial group over another, the entire community met to elect those who were Spirit-filled people of strength and wisdom to help in the distribution of food. Those elected were commissioned by the laying on of hands and they began their ministry. It's very interesting to see how some of them were actually deployed. Stephen was a gifted preacher and used that gift to give witness to the Lord Jesus Christ and as a result, like Jesus, was killed for his faith. Philip, a gifted evangelist; one who shares the good news, is sent by God to convert a man from Ethiopia. We don't read any one of the deacons saying that work was beneath them or not worthy of their being there; these were faithful disciples who put Jesus first and His ministry first, and sought to serve Him however He felt was worthy and necessary. Interesting that upon receiving his call to get up and go, he didn't ask where, or is there at least a Walmart in that place? Will I be within driving distance to an HEB? Can my spouse find decent work nearby? No, we read of faithfulness and fruitfulness because of trusting obedience.

If you love Jesus, you know Jesus loves you and seeks only the best for you; opportunities will come and our willingness to serve will bless others and you will also find, they will bless you. So, what are you waiting for?

PRAYER: Faithful Father, send me where Thou will; and put me to doing whatever it is Thou would have me do. Let me in all ways seek only honor and glory for Thy name; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Find a moment today to say, "Here I am, Lord; Send me!"

Receive my blessings of peace and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde