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1 Walk Towards Life1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. 4 Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. 5 They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 7 He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. 8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 9 for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. 33 He turned rivers into a desert, flowing springs into thirsty ground, 34 and fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. 35 He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs; 36 there he brought the hungry to live, and they founded a city where they could settle. 37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; (Psalm 107:1-9, 33-37 New International Version)

A tremendously terrific Thursday to you, Friend, is my prayer for you. I pray God bless you with opportunities to serve Him. May you bless others today. Pray for one another. Pray for those who have asked prayer from you. Make a positive difference in the world today!

The Bible has many references to joyous reunions that God and God's people tell of. And this psalm is a song of hope that those reunions will come in God's time and plan. In the few days that I have been making new friends through their enrollment into their school's insurance programs I have heard many stories of those who have been lost in the past few years due to many reasons. One woman last summer discovered that her husband, whom she thought was watching television, was no longer present in spirit, for his spirit had departed for another place. After his funeral, her oldest son was invited by friends to take a trip into Mexico to rest and relax to help him unwind from the stress of his father's death and funeral. While on this trip, the son went for a walk alone. He went missing and was found days later, shot through the eye, dead. A colleague of mine, some years ago, lost her oldest daughter to the man she was married to, for he killed her in a rage; and due to the racial climate of the state where the murder occured, this pastor fought for and lost custody of her only grandson, and was even denied visitation rights to that child. There were more stories and more tears associated with loss and with hope for one day being reunited with those who have departed. It is important to note that the reunion and power to bring back the lost.

The reunion will also include those who chose to wander off on their own, seeking a new home according to their needs and desires and far from God; these too will also be brought back by God because of His great love for us all. And no matter how far they have wandered, God's loving and listening ears, hears the cries of the repentant and leads them home. The thirsty find drink and the hungry find their fill for their stomachs. Even the parched lands will transform into rivers and streams that will bless the land with fruit and other blessings; the evil will see the opposite happen; prosperous land will become deserts. But the faithful and the returned will find the city where God has invited them to live; and there they planted, not only crops of things for harvest, but roots of the heart where love would bless all residents. Thanks be to God.

The world is counting on God but for now, the world turns to us to be the light and love of God to all people. Heaven truly can become a reality in our lives, the believers of God who can truly make a difference for the good now. Let God's light and love shine through us always.

PRAYER: Lord of the Universe, Father of us all, make us more like You so that we can bless the earth. Help us truly bring Your kingdom here as it is in Heaven; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show the first glimpses of Heaven to someone today in a way that blesses them; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Receive my blessings of joy and hope,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

God Never Gives Up on Us

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Hear the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3zD4Vz7

1 "When Israel was only a child, I loved him. I called out, 'My son!' - called him out of Egypt. 2 But when others called him, he ran off and left me. He worshiped the popular sex gods, he played at religion with toy gods. 3 Still, I stuck with him. I led Ephraim. I rescued him from human bondage, But he never acknowledged my help, 4 never admitted that I was the one pulling his wagon, That I lifted him, like a baby, to my cheek, that I bent down to feed him. 5 Now he wants to go back to Egypt or go over to Assyria - anything but return to me! 6 That's why his cities are unsafe - the murder rate skyrockets and every plan to improve things falls to pieces. 7 My people are hell-bent on leaving me. They pray to god Baal for help. He doesn't lift a finger to help them. 8 But how can I give up on you, Ephraim? How can I turn you loose, Israel? How can I leave you to be ruined like Admah, devastated like luckless Zeboim? I can't bear to even think such thoughts. My insides churn in protest. 9 And so I'm not going to act on my anger. I'm not going to destroy Ephraim. And why? Because I am God and not a human. I'm The Holy One and I'm here - in your very midst. 10 "The people will end up following God. I will roar like a lion - Oh, how I'll roar! My frightened children will come running from the west. 11 Like frightened birds they'll come from Egypt, from Assyria like scared doves. I'll move them back into their homes." God's Word! Soul-Destroying Lies. (Hosea 11:1-11 The Message Bible)

We return to the preacher living the difficult sermon prop of being a faithful husband to a faithless wife. He is also the faithful father to faithless children. All part of the sermon. Though this passage is about God speaking from His heart about how this mischievous toddler became a wayward child. I have to admit I was an adventurous child but God held me grounded and I never strayed far. Like most boys of my era, I even harbored thoughts about finding a stick to which I could attach a kerchief and fill with my clothes and run off to find my way in the world, but come dinner time when I would hear Mom calling, I knew where home truly was. Not so with wayward Israel; he quickly forgot, as this version has it, Who was pulling the wagon, and forgot the time he was lifted to God's cheek, and the times God bent down to feed him. His thoughts are to go anywhere but home! He was willing to return to the captivity of the slavery of Egypt, or across the boundary into enemy territory into Assyria; and thus his cities are afflicted with skyhigh murder rates, and failed plans to improve life within the nation.

Yet, with all the grounds that God has to prosecute Israel, God's heart is to forgive and expect the day when all of His people would return back to Him. God declares that the day will come when people will end up following God, and on that day God will roar like a lion; all of his frightened children who have scattered throughout the world will come running home. Like frightened birds, those who headed to Egypt and Assyria, will return home where they will be welcomed back into their homes. This is solemn and God states it as fact; all other things are lies.

The day did come when I was already in college, where my father and I just did not see eye to eye on one thing; my hair length. And both of us were stubborn about where we stood. He told me to leave if I could not obey him, and so I left, as my Mom and grandmother cried loudly. I went to my car and sat, weeping wondering where I would end up, when after what seemed like an eternity, Dad came running out of the house and opened the door of my car and told me not to leave. I was home.

We must know that when we return to God we are home, no matter where we have roamed; and because of God's great love, we are always welcomed with God's loving embrace. Come home, friend.

PRAYER: Loving and forgiving God, thank You for Your awesome love that gives us second, third, and millionth chances. Receive us with outstretched arms and hug us; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Show someone the same love God shows you!

Receive my blessings of hope and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Ill-Fitting Clothes

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1 So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. 2 Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. 3 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life - even though invisible to spectators - is with Christ in God. He is your life. 4 When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too - the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. 5 And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. 6 It's because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. 7 It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. 8 But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk. 9 Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. 10 Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. 11 Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. (Colossians 3:1-11 The Message Bible)

A very blessed and terrific Tuesday be yours, dear Friend. May God brighten your path towards those who would be blessed by your witness and example. Pray for one another; pray for your needs, pray for those who have asked you to pray for them. We are people of prayer, who believe in the power in prayer. Pray for the needs of the world.

This passage spoke to some long gone memories of my childhood. I had a tough adolescence period. What didn't help was that I was uprooted from my birth home and town and placed in the huge metropolitan area of Houston. I went from the familiar to the strange; from the comforts of home to what seemed like a hostile. I began to find fault in myself. I thought I had a nose too large for my face, and of course, to begin with, I felt that my face also too large. So, as I walked the two blocks from our apartment to the bus stop where I boarded a city bus to ride to my junior high. I gave up looking people in the eye and walking like this passage said in verse two; shuffling along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of me. My mother joked as she said, "You are not looking for nickles, you're going to school, look up!" Easier said that done. And add to that all my clothing was ill-fitting and not because of bulging muscles. But thanks be to God this was happening as I was also discovering my faith in Jesus in more powerful ways, and what Paul is addressing, were becoming real and thus blessing me towards that day where God would call me into ordained ministry. The apostle's message about our old life is being dead is correct! When we surrender ourselves to Jesus, we have a new life! As we put on Jesus as our clothing, we should accept that we blend in with Christ, being obscure in Him as we ask Jesus to kill in us everything that is connected with the old life; sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever we fell like doing, and going after and grabbing whatever we desire; those things have no business being in us. These things make God angry, and Paul believes that God will "explode in anger" with those who have not yet surrendered to the new life. Paul stresses that things such as "bad temper, irrability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk," lying to one another, are all part of the old life, which should be dead. Taking Christ as Lord means taking Him as our new clothing, custom-fitted to us, with a custom label on it; we are now wearing the latest and greatest fashion. The label of God-designed replaces the old labels given to us or that we took for ourselves, such as Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligous, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing." We are now defined by Christ, and included in Christ. Thanks be to God!

Dear friend, if you have not yet surrendered your old life to God, do so today. You have to make the choice and give all the old stuff in you to God and God will make you new. And that's the only way to live!

PRAYER: Loving Father, we surrender to You that which in us is not in line with You. Help us put to death those things that are sinful and help us dress in Christ, with love and compassion and peace. Help us to bring about a revival and renewal in us for the honor and glory of God; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show off your new clothing in Christ that shines love for all people.

Receive my blessings of hope and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Who is Your God Really

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Hear the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3OuVMgc

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15 And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 16 And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' 18 And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:13-21 New International Version Bible)

Inheritance again? "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" We studied that this not too long ago. In other words, I don't want to work for it, but what can I do to automatically receive it? And here, the question is for the inheritance to be divided among two brothers. Hmm, sounds like the other story that Jesus told about two brothers, the youngest of whom asked for his share of the inheritance, and once it was in his pocket, the took off and squandered it all. You might remember this story as the one about the Prodigal Son. Inheritances can bless, but they also can curse; they can build up or they can tear down. And here comes the lesson from the Lord; "Be careful, and be on guard against wanting it all, because your life does not consist in how much you have." We know the made-up saying that goes, "The one who dies with the most toys wins!" Nope. He or she is still dead and may have been dead in the accumulation of those toys; dead to others, the needs of others, especially loved ones, and so physical death was only a procedure to allow for the burial of a body that was long dead. Right now the buzz is about the huge lottery amount that someone could win this coming week. It's at almost $800 million. I told my daughter, "I imagine that much money at one time for one person or one family might bring more headaches than the person suspects." The number of broke, temporary millionaires is sky high; the number of broken families fighting over money is also at record numbers; and one has to ask, "Was it worth it?" Take the grandfather who in his day won the highest jackpot in history and his one granddaughter, whom he loved and doted on for all of her life, received daily amounts of money that she could only think to spend it on drugs, and before they knew it, she was dead from an overdose and the grandfather lost his reason for living. I should mention he divorced his wife and decided it would be more fun to spend his money with strippers. You don't even have to ask that man if he could give all the money back and get his granddaughter back, what he would say.

Jesus talks about a prosperous "rich man." He owned land which "produced plentifully," and made the man think, "What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?" And so he makes a plan to destroy his barns to build larger ones where he could store all his grain and crops. And with this plan he says, "I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." God had other plans and said, "Fool! This night your soul is required ot you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" And states, "So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."

Jesus shows God calling this man a fool. Harsh? Honest? I vote for honest. The man had given himself away. To choose money over God is a wrong move. It is a losing move and it can be, an eternal wrong move. God desires us to choose Him, to choose righteousness, to choose compassion and faithful service to others, not selfish, self-serving moves. The inheritance brothers were battling over money and possessions; one because he wanted it all, the other because he wanted his half. The question was, what are they doing in the mean time? Where is God in this struggle? Jesus shared the story to emphasis that the only true choice is to choose God, Whom we need to faithfully and daily serve.

PRAYER: Loving Father, forgive us those times we have chosen things just for our own good and not for the good of others; guide us to faithfulness and fruitfulness; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Choose to bless someone with an act of generousity.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

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God's Unfailing Love Is No Secret!

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Hear the podcast here! https://bit.ly/3OiWWen

2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, "Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord." 3 So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.4 And the Lord said to him, "Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." 6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. 7 But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen." 8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. 9 Then the Lord said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God." 10 Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, "You are not my people," it shall be said to them, "Children of the living God." (Hosea 1:2-10 NRSV)

You have experienced the use of props by some pastors to drive home the point of their sermon. One pastor in the DFW area one year did a series on, what else, sex and had a brand new showroom quality Ferrari (a very expensive car, boys and girls) on the stage. If you want to know the sermon and how it relates to the very expensive and very fast car, google it. I could venture a guess, but there might be actual kids reading or hearing this message. God is love, boys and girls! I once threw flour tortillas into the congregation and won a new family to the church that Sunday, and I only hit one of the senior citizens of the cranky ilk. And no pulpit committee meeting was needed to remedy it! And there are countless other examples of props that I could give. But God wins. In this sermon that God knows Israel, His beloved and chosen people, needs to hear and see, he tells the senior pastor of First Israel, "Uh, here's how this sermon is going to play out. I know you're single, and you've never been married. And if I'm remembering them correctly, one of the commandments requires that all preachers be married, so for your prop for this sermon, I want you to get a, how do I say this without embarrassing me, you, and the woman I'm about to talk about? You heard the song, 'Hello, Baby' by the Big Bopper? Well, I want you to marry a girl like he's talking about, with the 'wiggle in the walk, giggle in the talk,' No, that's embarrassing me. How did Eugene Peterson have the nerve to write this passage in such a brash way? I'll have to ask him, but uh, Hosea, your prop will be a woman of ill repute, and she will also be the mother of the children you hadn't even about thought having. She's the sermon prop for the people to see that their behavior has mimicked her behavior." Hosea replies, "Lord, I don't think I'm following this sermon prep about the prop. I'm hearing you want me married, and that's fair; I've thought about marrying a girl like dear old mom, but this prop seems to be a bit beyond where I thought a prophet should start a martial journey. I thought a high school sweetheart might have been a bit more logical place to start. You know, a prom, some Friday night football games, a hay ride or two; but we're starting more on a street corner than a rumble seat in granddad's old Model A. And shazam, you want me to marry a woman named Gomer? She might not be quite Mayberry material; she's solid Vegas.

And the wedding took place. I now pronounce you, husband and (slight hestitation on God's part) wife. The wedding night produced a child, whom God said they were to name Jezreel, for the shedding of the blood of Jezreel; and this would be the end of house of Israel. The sermon is live and it has everyone's attention.This birth, God said, would break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel. Gomer conceived again and God said to name this baby, a girl, Lo-ruhamah, (No Mercy) because God would no longer have pity nor mercy on the house of Israel. The pity would go to the southern brother, Judah, whom God would save by His might and not anything created like bows, swords, war, or horses, or horsemen.

Gomer conceives another child, and this one is named Lo-ammi (Nobody), because Israel was now nobody to God, and God was no longer their God; yet, hope is shared for God declares that the number of people from Israel would be like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count, and the place where God had said, "No more, Israel," would be remembered as the place where God would call them, "Children of the living God."

It's sad to know such sermons are ever necessary, but they are. Yet, even this sermon with the sad sermon plot that the prophet had to endure was a powerful message to the unfaithful people of Israel. God asks His people again and again, "Can't you be faithful? Can't you fulfill the vows you took to be my people? Must you stray time and time again? Your actions scream that you deserve death, yet my love for you is so great that I will forgive you and restore you if you sincerely and honestly repent of your sin. There is no need to wander among the dead while you still have life; I will share the fullness of life to all who desire it; such is my love for you.

PRAYER: Awesome loving God, thank You for the second and third chance you give to all who seek to receive it. Help us to serve You in getting the message out to those still wandering lost; this we must do in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a sermon prop of hope, love, and forgiveness.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

You Received Christ; Now Live Him!

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Hear the podcast here: https://bit.ly/3OimHeT

6 My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. 7 You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. 8 Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ. 9 Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. 10 When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything. 11 Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It's not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you're already in - insiders - not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin. 12 If it's an initiation ritual you're after, you've already been through it by submitting to baptism. Going under the water was a burial of your old life; coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as he did Christ. 13 When you were stuck in your old sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to God. God brought you alive - right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, 14 the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ's Cross. 15 He stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets. (Colossians 2:6-15 The Message Bible)

A blessed Tuesday dear Friend, as we walk through the Epistle Lane of Colossians. Hear the practical and hard-driving advice of Paul for the belivers in Colossae. As we pray today, pray for one another; lift up those who have asked prayers from you, including Sheila and Don Chapman of Corpus Christi. Sheila is the office manager of the Coastal Bend District, and she put up with me during my seven years as DS there. I was honored to have officiated at her and Don's wedding. Both received IV infusion treatments for Covid during these last couple of days and our prayers for their rapid recovery. Pray for your needs, and pray for the needs of the world.

The take-away is in the title which comes from verse 6b. "Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live Him." There it is! Paul was addressing a congregation where the majority of those reading were guilty of having not taken advantage of what they had received, namely the gift of Jesus Christ. They kept living like they were before they met Jesus, and that's missing the whole point! Paul reminds believers that they are deeply rooted in Him, and they were contructed upon Him; through Christ they have found their way around the faith and the time to live the faith is now. You have been students, you've gotten the degree and diploma, now get to work! I compare it to getting the keys to the church as a young pastor; all your education has prepared you for this, now you have the keys, insert them into the lock, turn the key, open the door and get going! I was just finished with my first year of seminary, came home to Houston and hired to be the summer youth director of a nice sized church. I remember the keys to the church, and to my office, and the situation was now real. I could have chosen to decorate the office to my liking, and taken time just to get to know the neighborhood, or bought more books to decorate my office and make it look like I was a studious youth director; but that was not my calling. I knew Jesus to be my Lord and Savior; He was real and He was serious about our being serious in reaching the world for Him.

The passage speaks the truth about who we might encounter; some who are more ready to engage in verbal exchanges rather than honest interaction with God. Their interest, Paul says, is more in exploring ideas and "empty superstitutions of spirit beings." The believer who realizes what was involved in their baptism and walk with Jesus will only want to deepen their walk with Jesus and invite others to join in the journey and adventure of being a believer. Christ came with power, and is still at work in the world to destroy sin and share the fullness of life. As in Christ you found life, Christ wants you to find others to share life through Christ. Your clean slate should be something that you show others that has blessed you. All your enemies have been, or will soon be, defeated and subdued. Christ is the revelation of the victory that will come and be eternal; ours is the duty to recruit more.

PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus, and ignite in us that which You have shared for us to be fruitful and faithful and may we win more sinners to Thy glory; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Speak to someone today about how Jesus wiped your slate clean from all sin.

Receive my blessing so hope and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

The Other Lord's Prayer

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Hear the podcast here: https://bit.ly/3RG5PBO

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. ’ ” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:1-13 NIV)

A member of one of my congregations is a Border Patrol agent, and he told me that at the checkpoint during that time, a certain Visa allows for pastors from other countries to come into the United States, and so many tried to take advantage of that visa. Their question to see if they were truly pastors was to ask them where in the Bible they could find The Lord's Prayer? Most knew to say Matthew 6. The second question was, "Where else in the Bible can we find it?" Most did not know it was in this passage. So, if ever you find yourself trying to come back into the US and you've lost all documentation, and you try to enter under this visa, remember Luke 11!

Out of the synoptic gospels, meaning Matthew, Mark, and Luke, that more closely follow the gospel story, Matthew and Luke were more in sync than Mark and John. John's gospel is not even called a synopic gospel; it stands alone as the spiritual gospel, placed between Luke and Acts, though once thought to be a large two volume collection, so that John's words on the Holy Spirit could prepare readers for Acts' Introduction to the coming of The Holy Spirit in Acts 2. This passage is all about prayer and the power behind prayer. I tire not of sharing how the people known as Methodists were once known as a praying people. This is not to say we're still not, but we are far from where we could be when it comes to praying. Prayer is worship in motion. There are at least a million ways to pray and all center on our being able to pray from the heart. I've shared the story of how Francis Asbury, one of two first bishops on American soil became a believer and a minister because of the time he and a friend decided to follow two pretty girls to whevever they were going, and it turned out they were going to a prayer meeting. Though not strangers to a prayer meeting setting, Francis wanted to see which prayer book the circuit rider would use when it came time to pray. Well, the preacher prayed from his heart! That made such an impact on Rev. Asbury that he became ordained and consecrated as bishop by the age of 24. And he and Thomas Coke were sent by The Rev. John Wesley to America to extend the gospel among the colonies.

The passage begins with Jesus indulging in one of two major holy habits, that of being in prayer. He modeled prayer for those around Him because the disciples asked, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." Some of Jesus' disciples were first disciples of John the Baptist and left when Jesus called them, but they may have left before John taught prayer, and now, they wanted to learn. Jesus teaches them what many call our family prayer, which is the Lord's prayer. This version is shorter than the Matthew version. It is a powerful prayer. It begins with the worship of God as Father and bestowing upon His name as being hallowed, or sacred and holy. It acknowledges that God's kingdom is coming and we pray that it comes quickly. We acknowledge our need for God to share with us "our daily bread," the basic provisions of nourishment for our bodies. We acknowledge our sinfulness before Him and we ask forgiveness from the only One who can forgive and take away our sins. And, we ask that God allow us to forgive others, because others have sinned against us, and we know Jesus says the merciful are blessed because they have learned to show mercy. And it ends with our asking the Lord to help us when we are tempted.

Jesus then teaches further about prayer and its power to bless. The examples Jesus gives show the importance of our praying and then living out what we pray. Jesus teaches about the faithfulness of God to hear, and answer our prayers according to His will; the implication is that we too, should respond to our neighbor's needs. Jesus then shares a great pattern of response; Ask, Seek, and Knock; stressing the important of our faithfulness in praying. We should ask, seek, and knock as we pray for ourselves and for others. The goodness of God should be our example and model as well.

Dear one, may this bless our week as we seek to be stronger and more fruitful in our prayer life. Ask, Seek, and Knock. May this bless us in all things.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your faithfulness in all things. We pray You would bless our prayer lives as we learn how to ask truly for that which can bless our lives and our work for You; Bless us as we learn to seek more, with more faith and eyes of faith. Help us to know when and where to knock for that which blesses You and those who are Yours; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a person of prayer today in ways that bless others.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Big Man bet on the wrong horse, trusted in big money...

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1 Why do you brag of evil, "Big Man"? God's mercy carries the day. 2 You scheme catastrophe; your tongue cuts razor-sharp, artisan in lies. 3 You love evil more than good, you call black white. 4 You love malicious gossip, you foul-mouth. 5 God will tear you limb from limb, sweep you up and throw you out, Pull you up by the roots from the land of life. 6 Good people will watch and worship. They'll laugh in relief: 7 "Big Man bet on the wrong horse, trusted in big money, made his living from catastrophe." 8 And I'm an olive tree, growing green in God's house. I trusted in the generous mercy of God then and now. 9 I thank you always that you went into action. And I'll stay right here, your good name my hope, in company with your faithful friends. (Psalm 52 The Message Bible)

A blessed Thursday dear Friend for you and yours. May God bless you with wonderful blessings and surprises that you can share with others is my prayer for you! As we pray, let me ask you to pray for The Rev. Milford R. (Zeke) Zirkel, an elder who has served in our conference and its predecessor conference since 1950, was diagnosed with cancer last week and is now in hospice care. The family asks for your prayers. Rev. Zirkel only recently stepped out of the pulpit due to health concerns. He was serving at Aransas Pass UMC until last month. Rev. Zirkel comes from a family committed to serving. His son, Ray Zirkel, serves in Costa Rica. Nephews and nieces include retired DS Carl Rohlfs, retired pastor Rev. Margaret Decker, and the late Rev. Claus Rohlfs Jr. Please also pray for Dena Fritz’s niece Ashley Moore who lives in Corpus Christi. Ashley is having a breast biopsy today and will get results tomorrow.

Also, please pray for a smooth recovery and minimal discomfort for little Autumn Smith (daughter of Amanda and Dewey). Autumn had tubes placed in her ears and her adenoids removed this morning. May God grant these blessings to these dear people, and may God bless you for praying for them. Pray for one another, and pray for the world. And a personal pet request, our granddog, Arnie Cortez, who's been in the family for ten years, jumped off the family couch in Austin and may be paralyzed. He's in a lot of pain as are we, as Saraí, Eric, and Sarita pray and ponder what's best for little man. Please pray God's comfort be with the Cortez'. God is good.

Big Man. Just the sound of that word brings back black and white era movies of a bad guy who is known for the size of his hatred and/or evil. His shadow casts fear. The one true "big man" I knew in my college days was a bus driver in the summer and a tractor-trailer driver during the school year. He was a sweetheart with the kids and myself. I was the site director for a summer gubment program called the Neighborhood Youth Corps. We put on many miles with Big Man at the wheel. This "big man" the psalmist is talking about is the embodiment of the evil of God's own people, Israel. Didn't we just study them yesterday? It's a frequent stop on the OT* Railroad. This Big Man brags of evil and of his schemes; he's armed with a razor-sharp tongue, and quite skilled in lies, a lover of evil, and blatant in calling black white. He thrives on gossip and his vocabulary is limited to four-lettered words. What God has in mind for him is to destroy him, then scoop up the remnants, and throw them up. His roots while hardily holding on to life, will be yanked out and tossed into outer darkness. This talk is all about the evil ones of Israel. The good ones will only be able to watch and worship God in gratitude. Then they'll laugh by saying, "Big Man bet on the wrong horse, trusted in big money, made his living from catastrophe. Bye!" And those who always trusted in God will say, "And I'm an olive tree, growing green in God's house. I trusted in the generous mercy of God then and now." They will remain trusting in God because they know God is with them, having responded always with action when they were in need, and that has kept them near God then and will keep them there now. God's name is our hope, and we stay in company with faithful friends.

Yesterday the prophet Amos asked where our faith was; today the psalmist is asking where our heart is. I pray we can respond and say our faith and heart are in the Lord God. It is God who has blessed us and will bless us by our staying faithful and connected to God.

PRAYER: Awesome God, may our lives never become stories on pages of evil. May we seek to brighten up the live of ours and bring hope to them. Make us shining examples of Thy peace; in Christ Jesus we pray, in Christ Jesus, Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show someone the joy God has placed in your heart today!

Receive my blessings of hope and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde *Old Testament

Paying Attention

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38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 New International Version Bible)

A blessed and happy Monday to you, dear Friend. I pray this finds you well and enjoying God's blessings on your life. I pray that your weekend allowed you time for spending with God, your loved ones, and with whatever else merits your attention. I pray all is well with your health and the health of your family. Let us pray for one another, pray for those needs shared with us as well as the needs of our homes, our communities, our state and our nation. Let us seek to glorify God in all ways.

As I was growing up, it was during a time, and quite possibly a place, where if someone came over to visit you, you would welcome them, and you would immediately ask if your guests had eaten, and some, even if the guests said they had eaten, they would begin at one to fix something to eat. Usually, we kids were instructed that the proper response was always, "Yes, we've already eaten!" And this even in the presence of the most delicious food that the hosts had prepared for themselves! I suspect this custom came from the very place this passage take us; a small village where a kind woman has opened her home to Jesus and His disciples, and Martha, perhaps the older of the sisters, begins to prepare a meal for Jesus and the Twelve. Mary, who perhaps had heard about Jesus, sits at the feet of Jesus listening to what He had to say. She knew that this special man, had words of life, and the very word of God and it was a blessing to her to hear them. Martha soon notices that she is now doing all the preparations by herself and comes to Jesus and asks, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" Yikes. She's serious about this arrangement not working out, for her. Jesus lovingly responds, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed -- or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Perhaps not what Martha wanted to hear, but it was certainly what she needed to hear. Mary had indeed chosen what was truly needed in her life; that of hearing the fullness of life. The work of the house would be there long after Jesus would leave; but He was already on the path of His life, which would involved His death on a cross. And He knew this; Mary and Martha did not, but one of them was drawn to Him and His mission. Mary had zeroed in on the essential part; the love God had for her, and her sister. Both sisters paid attention, but not to the same thing. Jesus identifies that interaction as "better, and it will not be taken away from her." She made a choice for her life and it was an eternal choice. Martha did make a responsible choice, but it was temporal. And you and I sometimes have to make decisions and do we know which are temporal and which are eternal? I pray we do!

PRAYER: Loving God, open our hearts, minds, and spirits to see what truly blesses You and Your kingdom. May we always choose the eternal over the temporal. In Christ Jesus' strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Find someone to discuss some of the choices you've made lately and which have been temporal and which have been eternal.

Receive my blessings of peace and wisdom,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Defend. Do Justice. Deliver from Evil.

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1 God calls the judges into his courtroom, he puts all the judges in the dock. 2 "Enough! You've corrupted justice long enough, you've let the wicked get away with murder. 3 You're here to defend the defenseless, to make sure that underdogs get a fair break; 4 Your job is to stand up for the powerless, and prosecute all those who exploit them." 5 Ignorant judges! Head-in-the-sand judges! They haven't a clue to what's going on. And now everything's falling apart, the world's coming unglued. 6 "I commissioned you judges, each one of you, deputies of the High God, 7 But you've betrayed your commission and now you're stripped of your rank, busted." 8 O God, give them their just deserts! You've got the whole world in your hands! (Psalm 82 The Message Bible)

A blessed and terrific Thursday, dear Friend. May the joy of the Lord be yours today and all days. As I reported on the podcast yesterday, the twins for whom we were praying, Boe and Creek, are now home with Mom and Dad and all the family. Creek is the boy and he was not able to get the hang of nursing but now he does and we pray that God bless both with health and strength. Please pray for one another; pray for your own needs, and pray for the needs of the world. Be a bold believer in all you say, think, and do!

Yesterday Amos. Today, the psalmist of justice. Well, actually, anything related to God's kingdom and God's people should be about justice. There is no room in God's plan or realm for the wicked, the oppressors, the cheaters, the exploiters, and any other negative evil practice that we find in the world today, and since the day of this psalm. We could make a case for our being born with a greedy gene and through training, example, love, instruction, we learn how to share. If you don't believe me, ask to sit in with a mommy or daddy trying to teach sharing with their infant.

Among all people there is not one perfect person, but that does nor should it become something to hide behind; our call is to live better, even higher, for we are children of the Most High. And in a scene right from Job or Isaiah, it's God calling all judges (prophets, kings and queens, other rulers) into question about how they have dispensed or did not dispense justice. Their job, like ours, "is to stand up for the powerless, and to prosecute all those who exploit them." While we may not necessarily have prosecutorial authority, we can speak on behalf and defend those who are oppressed. We do know what's going on and what is happening, and we need to take a stand for those who do not have a voice. While the judgment in this psalm was against the oppressors goes against those in authority, we need to up our game of justice for all. We are, after all, the hands and feets of God, the advocates that someone may need.

The Reverend Martin Niemöller, was a Lutheran pastor in Berlin, Germany, during WWII. At first a sympathizer of the Nazis and later when he realized the evil they were about, he became one to support the oppressed and those who were being targeted by Adolph Hitler. Several times during his career he spoke a variation of the following quote:

"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

May God give us the words and courage to spoke on behalf of God to those who are being targeted in life.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we love You. May we love You enough to speak and support those who are being oppressed and run over by so many. Please send us those no one else wants, and especially those who no one else sees. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Speak courageous the truth about God and life.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

God Delivers

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1 A Psalm of David. A Song at the dedication of the Temple. I will extol thee, O LORD, for thou hast drawn me up, and hast not let my foes rejoice over me. 2 O LORD my God, I cried to thee for help, and thou hast healed me. 3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. 4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved." 7 By thy favor, O LORD, thou hadst established me as a strong mountain; thou didst hide thy face, I was dismayed. 8 To thee, O LORD, I cried; and to the LORD I made supplication: 9 "What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise thee? Will it tell of thy faithfulness? 10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be thou my helper!" 11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, 12 that my soul may praise thee and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to thee for ever. (Psalm 30 Revised Standard Version Bible)

"You had one job!" Remember that saying and what it meant? Usually, it meant a task was given to someone who could not follow it. And when they did follow it, they messed it up really bad. Usually, the prayers that go before God are the ones where I had one job and I messed up. In the case of this psalm David had a job to be faithful and obedient to God, and what does he do? He does what God asked him not to do. In this case, David takes a census of Israel when God said one was not necessary. And the psalm was the prayer for the dedication of the land for the temple. Remember that God said the temple would be built by Solomon and not David. Yet, God is faithful, the psalmist writes. And indeed He is! How many times have we not lifted up prayers convinced that God owuld not respond to us; and yet, he did! May we never lose our awe and wonder for the Lord hearing and answering us. As the psalmist knew, "God's anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime." What follows also blesses us, "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." I love Rev. Norman Vincent Peale's declaration, "Did you not know that all your yesterdays ended at midnight last night?" And they did.

This is a psalm calling us to rejoicing and praising and the best and easiest way is through our obedience to God. God has the power to help us face times of mourning and turning those into times of dancing. It may not seem possible right now, but it is coming. Our sackcloth, symbolic of fasting and mourning, can be exchanged into gladness, if we allow our souls to praise God and refrain from silence. Our joy is in our thankfulness to God for ever and ever.

PRAYER: Loving God, grant to us that which blesses You; guide us on this adventure called life to those places where we can glorify You and bring blessings to others. Grant us courage and wisdom for the living of these days; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be the rock for someone who feels they are on shifting sand!

Receive my blessings of joy and hope,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

You Reap What You Sow

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7 Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others - ignoring God! - 8 harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. 9 So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. 10 Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith. 11 Now, in these last sentences, I want to emphasize in the bold scrawls of my personal handwriting the immense importance of what I have written to you. 12 These people who are attempting to force the ways of circumcision on you have only one motive: They want an easy way to look good before others, lacking the courage to live by a faith that shares Christ's suffering and death. All their talk about the law is gas. 13 They themselves don't keep the law! And they are highly selective in the laws they do observe. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast of their success in recruiting you to their side. That is contemptible! 14 For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. 15 Can't you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do - submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! 16 All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God - his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them! (Galatians 6:7-16 NRSV)

A blessed and tremendous Tuesday to you, dear One! May the blessings of God be with you and yours is my prayer. May this devotional bless your life, especially your walk with the Lord Jesus. I thank you all for your prayers for those who asked prayers from us.

This letter comes as the Apostle Paul is under house arrest. From what little we know about his time as a prisoner, we do know that most of his letters were dictated by him and written down for him by someone else. We get a hint of that in verse 11 where Paul says, "Now, in these last sentences, I want to emphasize in the bold scrawls of my personal handwriting the immense importance of what I have written to you." Each letter of the apostle included personal greetings and admonishions but he also included theological teachings and/or clarifications about relevant issues confronting each church or community. This passage shows Paul wants every believer to take seriously how important each day and all it offers for us to impact the kingdom. Paul reminds us that we cannot make a fool of God. Whatever we sow, we will reap. And as an illustration, Paul says, "The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others - ignoring God! - harvests a crop of weeds!" Not a good offering for God is it? We should, Paul continues stressing that if we let the Spirit guide us, our crop and thus, our offering before the Lord, will be a crop of real life, eternal life. We should not tire of doing good for others in our lives.

The theological issue is the circumcision one. You will remember that some Jews who became Christians wanted all men who converted to Christianity needed to become Jews first, thus the men getting circumcised. The idea was not appealing for Gentile men who had become Christians and Paul, though Jewish himself, did not side with the circumcision party; calling their attitude and approach, "gas." He further says he would go on boasting about the Cross of Jesus, our Lord and Master. Through the Cross, he has been crucified in relation to the world, and has been set free from the stifiling atmosphere of pleasing others and trying to fit into the pattern that others dictate for him/us. This whole matter can be summed up as Paul does; this is about what God is doing, and God is creating something totally new, a free life. All who follow his example are the true people of God.

PRAYER: Loving God, lift us from the bonds others have tried to enslave us and trap us. Help us to live as Paul, boasting about what You have done through Jesus for us; and may we in our lives, lift high the Cross of Jesus. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show high the Cross of Jesus in your examples, and your speech to someone today.

Receive my blessings of freedom and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Seventy Disciples

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After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, “Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” ‘Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’ The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’ (Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 NRSV)

Jesus never had an office. No desk. No computer. No telephone. No administrative assistant or office manager. And for that matter, neither did His disciples. There was a great sharing of the work that was at hand, and in this passage we see that it is all about reaching the world for God. Jesus did keep hours for praying and worship. Jesus knew to seek rest when needed, and respond when the need arose. We need to see that the key word in this passage was harvest. The harvest of souls ready for the word of God to reach them was great, but the ones prepared and ready to reach them was few. Jesus had a great plan of towns and places where He knew the harvest would be realized, but He knew He would be better served in sending out disciples two by two. His instructions to these seventy disciples was simple but powerful; They were going out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Their readiness to travel is also reflected in Jesus saying, "Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' And if anyone there is there who shared in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid." They were to say that the kingdom of God had come near to them, for those who welcomed them; but if not, they were to dust off their feet as a sign of protest against them.

And the seventy return with awe and wonder of how their experience went. "Lord, in Your name even the demons submit to us!" There is power in the name of Jesus. To discover this for themselves gave them hope and renewed energy to keep doing what they had been trained to do. Many have been the times I have had no words for situations just the one word, the name of Jesus, to see me and the situation through. I have a young man for whom I pray and counsel who has been tormented by terrible dreams and nightmares, and I urge him to pray right before he dozes off, in the name of Jesus for a covering over him by Jesus to ward off the inner thoughts and ideas that can turn into terrifying nightmares; and it works because Jesus works on our behalf when invited. Even Jesus replies to the seventy, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning." I've shared how one late afternoon in November in Grenada, España, we went looking for a kiosk that sold personalized bullfighting posters. In the fall that part of Europe by five p.m., it's dark, and we found that kiosk near a cathedral dedicated to Lucifer, the angel of light. This was before his fall from heaven; and that church has a menancing statue of that angel crouching down in a terrified state that at night is not the most appealing of sights before bed! And scholar have debated if Jesus was speaking of Satan's fall from heaven on the day it happened, or as a figurative reference to the blow he received as a result of the seventy's ministry during their assignment. I tend to favor the latter. Satan stands no chance against us when we work, minister, teach, pray, love, live in the neme of Jesus; each prayer, and each action is a blow against him and his work against us. Jesus said, "See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Jesus is saying that anything and everything that comes against us stands no chance against Him. Jesus has taken those creatures that most people fear, snakes and scorpions, and says, "These things can't harm you, because I have given you authority over them." And, Jesus says, yet, our rejoicing should be that our names are written in the book of life in heaven. Just the other night I was talking about the days when the phone company provided phone books to every household in a community. Every person who had a phone and had given permission to have their number listed, had their name appear in the phone book. The old Steve Martin movie, "The Jerk" has a scene where he is so excited that the day finally arrived when the phone books were given out and he runs to see his name in print. I also chuckled that one of the best paying jobs for Ma Bell was to sell ads in the Yellow Pages. Now, we have, for all intents and purposes, no phone books or Yellow Pages (Kids ask grandma or grandpa what those were); but we rejoice in knowing that our names were written in heaven when we surrendered our lives to Jesus.

PRAYER: Awesome Father, thank You for having our names written in heaven and in Your heart. Help us live as those seventy, who experienced and rejoiced in the things they saw You do for others. Send us forth with confidence and power to overcome evil. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Speak words of hope and power to those who need them today.

Receive my blessings of hope and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

A Prayer of Faith & Gratitude!

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1 I yell out to my God, I yell with all my might, I yell at the top of my lungs. He listens. 2 I found myself in trouble and went looking for my Lord; my life was an open wound that wouldn't heal. When friends said, "Everything will turn out all right," I didn't believe a word they said. 11 Once again I'll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; 12 I'll ponder all the things you've accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts. 13 O God! Your way is holy! No god is great like God! 14 You're the God who makes things happen; you showed everyone what you can do - 15 You pulled your people out of the worst kind of trouble, rescued the children of Jacob and Joseph. 16 Ocean saw you in action, God, saw you and trembled with fear; Deep Ocean was scared to death. 17 Clouds belched buckets of rain, Sky exploded with thunder, your arrows flashing this way and that. 18 From Whirlwind came your thundering voice, Lightning exposed the world, Earth reeled and rocked. 19 You strode right through Ocean, walked straight through roaring Ocean, but nobody saw you come or go. 20 Hidden in the hands of Moses and Aaron, You led your people like a flock of sheep. (Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 The Message Bible)

A blessed and tremendous Thursday to you dear Friend. A praise report on Mrs. Alison Davis, who underwent a successful heart procedure in San Antonio yesterday. Reports are that the procedure was a success, and she's in recovery. Let us thank God and pray that God bless her with a strong healthy heart and continued healing for Alison! Let us continue to pray for one another; for the needs for those who have asked our prayers; for the needs of the world; for rain; for peace; for more to come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

This coming Sunday's gospel text has kept me thinking about that poor man who lived among the dead and had a given name he probably hated, Legion. Worse, he was not free in any sense of the word, and he was tormented all the time! This psalm reminds me of what this man felt inside his spirit as he faced these spirits of evil who were making their home in them. And it's what many of us have prayed from time to time as we faced our own "demons" or challenges or illnesses or setbacks. We yelled in our prayers or in our rooms or just in silence in our thoughts, "God, where are You? Why am I facing this?" The truth is at the last two words of verse 1, "He listens." Bam! God listens. Verse two describes us as well; "I found myself in trouble and went looking for my Lord; my life was an open wound that wouldn't heal. When friends said, 'Everything will turn out all right,' I didn't believe a word they said." I've been there and perhaps you have too. And then the psalmist lists the choruses of nature praising God for what nature knows that God can and does do for them.

His affirmation of his faith in God follows, replaying what God has done for him and how God has saved him from despair and trouble. Our God is a God who helps. Who rescues. Who saves. God is a God who defeats despair and doubt; pulling us out of pits that seem bottomless and lifts us high into life and the fullness of life. If our God can control the universe and all of creation, cannot God help us as well? Above all lthings we ask that God's will be done, not ours. Whatever you are facing or going through, entrust yourself and all of your loved ones to Him, and He will bless you.

PRAYER: Awesome Father, into Thy hands we commit ourselves and our loved ones. We entrust our every step to You so that you may guide me into faithfulness and fruitfulness; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Shine the light of God's hope from your face today!

Receive my blessings of peace and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Saying Goodbye to a Faithful Servant

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1 Now when the LORD was about to take Eli'jah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Eli'jah and Eli'sha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Eli'jah said to Eli'sha, "Tarry here, I pray you; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Eli'sha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Eli'sha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?" And he said, "Yes, I know it; hold your peace." 4 Eli'jah said to him, "Eli'sha, tarry here, I pray you; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Eli'sha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know it; hold your peace." 6 Then Eli'jah said to him, "Tarry here, I pray you; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Eli'jah took his mantle, and rolled it up, and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Eli'jah said to Eli'sha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you." And Eli'sha said, "I pray you, let me inherit a double share of your spirit." 10 And he said, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if you do not see me, it shall not be so." 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Eli'jah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Eli'sha saw it and he cried, "My father, my father! the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces. (2 Kings 2:1-12 New Revised Standard Version)

May this be a wonderfully blessed Wednesday for you, dear Friend is my prayer for you.  May our time in prayer bless the family of God as we pray for one another.  The family of Elenenor Ehrig is mourning her passing, and may we ask God to bless them with comfort and peace.  Pray for your own needs, and pray for the needs of the world.  Pray for rain, for peace in the Ukraine, for those who face financial difficulties, and for those who seek and need inner peace.

The joke was that ministers had a retirement plan that was out of this world.  And this story illustrates this.  To be honest for me it is never easy to hear of pastors dying, especially those whom I knew personally and whom I counted as friends and colaborers.  And I once had a church member who very seriously would say, "You preachers talk to us about heaven, but you all are afraid to die!"  I couldn't argue with him.  And at that point I had already had two phone calls from pastors who were dying and they called me to tell me they were afraid.  And we remember that all of us are humans with human feelings and emotions, and fear of the unknown is not just for super humans, and the reality of death as well as its finality in human terms scares everyone.  And this holds true for two awesome prophets of their day.  Elijah may not have been as afraid of the end as his protege Elisha; but what didn't help was the almost comical ribbing of the "sons of prophets" (read P.K.s!) and their taunts of "Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?"  

Their trek to the place where God would show up to receive Elijah included a miracle at the Jordan River.  Elijah takes his mantle, rolls it up, strikes the water, and the water parts and the two are able to cross over on dry land .  It is at this point that the older prophet asks the younger one what he can do for him and the younger prophet shows his wisdom in asking Elijah to grant him an inheritance of a double portion of his spirit.  Elijah replies this is a difficult decision but if Elisha sees him as he is taken from him then it will be granted.  If he does not see him, then it will not happen.  As they continued their walk they see a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and this chariot comes between the two prophets and Elijah is taken to Heaven up by a whirlwind.  The younger prophet can only say, "My father, my father! the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!"  And he was no longer able to see the elder prophet any longer.  Then the younger prophet ripped his clothing in two pieces as part of his mourning and grief.  He had said his goodbye, painful as it was, and was granted the gift he requested of receiving a double share of Elijah's spirit.  The same spirit that saw him defeat the 400 priests of Baal.  The spirit that allowed the old man to continue onward and upward with his ministry as God's spokesperson to the people of Israel; the same spirit that helped him live even with Ahab and Jezebel wanting to kill him.  And the same spirit that saw this young prophet have his own great ministry among God's people.

The presence and power of God's Holy Spirit in this Old Testament story blesses us with hope as we read how Jesus encountered a man filled with demonic spirits, so many that he was named Legion.  And Jesus with His spirit defeated all of those demons; and that brings hope to us even in spite of what we may be facing.

PRAYER:  Loving God, bless our hearts as we struggle and wrestle with things beyond our control.  May the Holy Spirit be He Who blesses us and grants us victory after victory; all for Thy sake; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Live a life of hope and power today in ways that invite others to see Him in us!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Called to Be Free!

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1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. 14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 15 If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. 16 Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. (Galatians 5:1, 13-25 NRSV)

Greetings, dear Friend, from Texas, the birthplace of Juneteenth, which was celebrated on the 19th and 20th this year. This is a very important holiday celebrating the day the news of Emancipation reached Texas shores. There was no way to text or post or Insta-anything; the news arrived by ship to Galveston, TX, and federal troops brought the news almost two years after the fact. President Abraham Lincoln has passed the Emanicipation Proclamation, and brought an end to a horrible practice of humans owning other humans. The day has become a day of great rejoicing and celebration of freedom.

Freedom means a lot of things to different people, but the overall aspect is that no one should be owned or controled or held or managed by another. The very first verse of this passage declares, through Christ Jesus, we have freedom from sin and death. No longer can the bonds of fear and enslavement to that which is bringing death, both physical and spiritual, hold us away from the freedom that Jesus came to give you and me. The entire passage speaks of the world of opportunities open to us, through love, to help one another achieve true freedom, with God's help, to become those whose lives model a positive influence towards others. The motivating verse is the one quoted, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Anything less that that is a sin, and is guided by the flesh and its desires. To live by the Spirit is to be led by God's Holy Spirit to do what is right and just. And, just in case you don't remember, Paul shares two lists; one of the flesh works, and the Spirit works. Compare the two.

The works of the flesh, Paul writes, are "fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmitites, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these." Paul pretty well covers them all. One cannot argue with him; where the Holy Spirit is absent, pretty much anything goes, and does. And usually for nothing good. These are the very things that have so many enslaved to its passions. I read this morning a quote that said to be enslaved by these things we can do it by ourselves, but to be released from these, takes the person of Jesus Christ to help free us.

Please note Paul's choice of words to describe the things of the flesh and the things of the Spirit; Works versus Fruits. Works seems so more techical and mechanical versus Fruits which more describe the completed blossom of growth of something plants. The works of the flesh come from almost a reaction or response to inner desires and lusts, while fruits of the Spirit is more of a labor of love, God's love for us, and for us to receive His Spirit and enjoy His fruits blesses us and helps us bless others. Look at Paul's lists of the fruits of the Spirit as "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." What a list! And who can argue against such fruits? Who couldn't use more love, or joy, or peace in their lives? And what family or church would not desire more patience, kindness, or generosity? And does the world not need more faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? And these are also the result of "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit." All I can think to say is Amen!

PRAYER: Loving Father, bless us again with the power to surrender ourselves to You and ask You to help us put to death the harmful, hurtful, things that are killing us. And help us to be free enough to enjoy the fruits of Thy Spirit, so we may be blessed and learn to bless others with the desired fruits that bless and unite us. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a person of love, joy, peace and patience today!

Receive my blessings of joy and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

The Cost of Discipleship

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51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them ?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62 NIV)

The end to Jesus' opposition never ended, even today. Luke shares how the time was drawing near for Jesus to return home to Heaven and He's making His way towards Jerusalem. His plans were to spend the night in a Samaritan village, but the people there did not want to welcome Him because He was bound for Jerusalem. Some other versions read that Jesus was of a mind intent on getting to Jerusalem, meaning they could tell He was not fully going to engage them there. The disciples in both versions have the same response; "Let's call down fire from Heaven to destroy these villages." Jesus said no. And as our sheep friends note, these two are very trigger happy, questioning how much impact Jesus had had up to that point in their discipleship. At no point though, can we saw these men attained perfection during their earthly lives; their loyalty and commitment to Jesus cannot be questioned, their response for some divine retribution was based on that emotional connection to their Teacher, though they were going to extremes in their desire to wipe out an entire village. Jesus rebukes them, and leads them to another village.

On their way to this new village a man approaches Jesus. This man had been in the audience of some, if not all, of Jesus' sermons and teachings in that area. This man has heard the gospel and knows that it comes with an invitation, "Come, follow me." This man probably heard it and did nothing about it except think and reflect. "What does this mean to follow Him? What will that get me? Will it be hard or easy?" And the more they thought about it, the more it seemed plausible that maybe, just maybe, he would follow this itinerate rabbi. And with this thought in his mind he approaches Jesus. "I will follow you wherever you go." This man thought about the opportunity of seeing new places and he was open to that. Jesus knows he probably hasn't really thought about what that might entail. This was not a tour that would take them from Holiday Inns to Ramadas. It was not even at the camping level. It was sleeping under trees and under the stars. So, the Master says to him, "Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head." And there was another man there who received Jesus' invitation, "Follow me." The man said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Some scholars have interpreted this as being a cultural reference meaning he wanted to spend the last years of his father's life with that father and then he would come and follow Jesus. Jesus' response, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." And yet another person there said, "I will follow You, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family." To which Jesus replies, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

When I went to seminary in the mid-70s, my dormitory and several others were filled with 20-somethings, and the average age of persons entering professional ministry was 25. When our youngest wanted to visit SMU, I was shocked, but not surprised, that my former seminary dorm was now a self-contained freshman dorm, meaning all classes, meals, etc. was done within the confines of that dorm. I don't know if that continued but it drove home the reality that at that ime, the average age of persons entering professional ministry was 58. "Many are called; few are chosen," so said our Lord in Matthew 22:14, meaning that many receive a call at a point in their life when they are not yet ready. The reasons could be many; financial, familial, emotional, and spiritual, so they delay their entrance into seminary and into professional ministry. I thank God for all who serve God in whatever way they feel that God is leading, but the Lord says to these men who approached him that once in ministry, full attention and concentration must given to Kingdom work or their work will be in vain. And this holds true for those not in fulltime profesisonal ministry, but who serve the Lord in various capacities. The work is so urgent and needed, that we must give it our all as soon as we can.

PRAYER: Loving Father, bless our work by giving us the passion and energy we need to make disciples for You in any and all ways that we can. Grant us what we need to win more souls for You; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Show joy in sharing faith.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde