COME AND SEE

Good day dear friends.

Please be in prayer for Richard Brotzman and his family as Richard's dad died yesterday in Kerrville, Texas. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Here is our study guide for today:

This past Sunday we looked closely at the life and ministry of Peter while a disciple. How did Peter’s life compare with the others? How does Peter’s life compare with yours? Have you taken brave, bold steps towards faithful service or Jesus or are you still in the shadows. Please read the story of another two brothers in Jesus’ service as found in John 1:43ff. Have you brought your brother/sister to Christ Jesus?

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." 46 Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" 48 Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Peter's life was different in some ways to the other eleven; yet he came to be known as the "Prince of the Disciples." Peter had a bold leadership style that made him among the most trusted, yet even that trust was, like in our lives, misplaced. Ultimately, Peter proved that the Lord had selected the right disciple.

Today's passage shares the calling of Philip by Jesus. Philip in turn, goes and calls his brother Nathanael to come to Jesus. Nate's a bit reluctant at first and then follows. In Time magazine this week there is a section called "Ten Questions" and the answerer is Alec Baldwin. One of the questions has to do with the radical conversion of his brother to Christianity and Alec's opinion of it. Alec responds that it can be a political one but that he is happy about his brother being devout now. How do your siblings feel about Jesus and your relationship with Him? Have you invited them to "come and see?"

PRAYER: Loving God, help me today live my life in a "come and see" mode, where my words, actions, and deeds help others know I am in relationship with You. Let me care enough for my brothers/sisters to help them "come and see" as well. I ask and pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

THE SUN BEYOND THE CLOUDS

Good day dear friends.

Here is our study guide for today: In the Old Testament in the Book of Esther, we find a brave woman who went from being a “bench warmer” to being truly a “Play-Maker.” Please make time to read this brief but powerful story about how God used this woman to save His people.

The story of Esther goes beyond a beautiful young lady winning a beauty contest. It is the story of faith and how her faith and that of her uncle saved the people of God. I doubt Esther ever dreamed she would become the co-ruler of her country and even that of being her people's savior. The story if filled with politics, racism, hatred, pride, etc. and teaches that in spite of all that we face, faith triumphs over all things.
May we have the faith of Esther as we live our daily lives.

PRAYER: Loving God, increase my faith. Let me be Your person in all things. May I see beyond the negative into the positive of faith. May I be patient to see the sun beyond the clouds. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

OUR DAY OF PRAYER

Good day dear friends.

As we pray this day, please be in prayer for these in need: Our brother Jeff Kowalski has taken a turn for the worse and needs our prayers. Please keep Kim his wife in your prayers as well. Our sister Joanne Kullin Smith also took a turn for the worse and was not expected to make it through the night. Please keep David her husband in prayer. Our sister Alma Lightly, Darlene Topp's mom, is set for a long surgery this morning.

Recovering nicely is Danielle Brandon who underwent an emergency appendectomy on Monday. All of these mentioned are at Valley Baptist Hospital.

PRAYER: Loving and Healing God, we turn to You in complete faith for unexplained healing. May You move with gentleness and wholeness in each person mentioned above as well as those we have in our hearts. May Your comfort bless those at those bedsides. As we have studied this week, let me be guided to glorifying You in all things. May our lives reflect the presence of Christ Jesus with us. We ask for Your mercy as we confess our sins. We pray this prayer in Jesus' precious Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

e.v.

PS Please keep the ministers and professionals of the McAllen District in prayer as we travel to Falfurrias for our monthly meeting.

ME, WORK FOR THE LORD?

Good day dear friends.

As we pray this morning please be in prayer for Peg as she undergoes tests for breast cancer. Also, my wife Nellie, is undergoing a stress test today at 1 p.m.

A joy! My dad's electricity came on yesterday afternoon (Finally!) and he was most happy. Please continue to pray for those in Ike's path that still await electricity and other necessities.

For today we'll be reading Matthew 20:1-16. Here is that text from Matthew 20:1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and he said to them, "You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same. 6 And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, "Why are you standing here idle all day?' 7 They said to him, "Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, "You also go into the vineyard.' 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, "Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.' 9 When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 saying, "These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

In most big cities there are areas where day laborers can gather to await being hired for the day. Those needing workers will pull up, usually in a pickup truck, get out, explain what type of worker they are looking for, and most, if not all of those looking for work will hold up their hands and say, "Me! Me!" The person looking for the workers will choose those s/he believes will do the best work and chooses them and they pile into the back of the truck and off they drive. Times have not changed since Jesus' day. The parable told by Jesus spoke of those who needed work and the one who needed workers. The man needing workers hired a group at nine in the morning and off they went to work. He did the same at noon, at three o'clock and finally again at five. All hired to do the same work in the same vineyard. When it came time to pay them, all were paid the same. Those who were hired first at nine a.m. received the same pay as those hired at 12,3, and 5. By human standards that's not fair, as those nine o'clockers pointed out. In reality they were right; they had worked more hours and perhaps produced more than those hired at the other hours.

But Jesus' story was not about human pay, it was about the kingdom of heaven as he pointed out in verse one. God needs workers and will put to work those who want to work whether they come to Him at 9 years of age or 90 years young. To God it matters not the age of when we first believe but whether after our belief we started to work for Him or not. Our churches are full of those who have been sitting on the premises rather than standing on the promises, who have done nothing for God. Well, if you consider grumbling and griping, some do a lot... but for the good of the Kingdom of Heaven what have they done? More importantly, what have you done?
The very least we can do is to invite someone to come and be a part of our church family. It does not take a fancy invitation, rather a loving invitation to those without a church home to "come and check out my church." We may be surprised what blessings will be ours to enjoy as we see the changes in our lives and especially in the lives of those who do not yet know the Lord.

PRAYER: Loving God, may my days be spent doing good for the kingdom of Heaven. I ask You forgive me for the days I've done little or nothing. Help me to be the person You've called me to be. I ask this in Christ Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

LIFE IS SO GOOD!

Good day dear friends.

My thanks for your prayers for this weekend. Nellie and I had the privilege of worshiping with dear friends, Rev. Dr. Steven Sweet and his lovely wife, Rochelle in their church in Manchaca, Texas. While preaching there I saw old friends from San Marcos, a young lady who had been active all her life at El Mesias in Mission, now married and doing movies in Austin, presently shooting one for Lifetime, and a young lady active with my campus ministry when her dad was my district superintendent here in the Valley. It was a great time also seeing and spending some time with daughters and sons-in-law, and especially our grandbaby who now talks a lot in understandable words! While shopping, she saw some sandals wrapped in plastic and handed them to grandma and said, "Nice schwees! (her word for shoes)"

After we left the Austin area late, we traveled to Houston to check on my dad. Our prayers are still needed for that poor area. The traffic was heavy heading back into Houston. One indication it would be was our stop at Buccees, a very popular, always crowded gas station/super convenience store. Sunday it was packed with cars waiting to find a parking spot. The good thing we discovered as we exited to take Beltway 8, a toll road, was that tolls were not needed. The trip down that road showed many buildings whose windows were blown out and many neighborhoods with significant damage.

My dad is still without electricity, but having natural gas for hot water he has that and an ice chest filled with food and drinking water. He has a flashlight and a battery operated lamp for his bedroom. Huge power company trucks made their way down his street as we visited and we hope that's a sign that soon my dad will have his electricity restored. His home, thanks to the loving attention of my sister, brother, and brother-in-law has made his home look like it's been untouched. The neighbors are not so lucky. Their storage sheds look like crumpled paper and their trees are packed with limbs and otehr debris. Prayers for God to comfort and be with all who are still reeling from Hurricane Ike.

We left Houston at about 7 p.m. and drove straight home. We praise and thank God for a safe drive, although about 40 miles from home in that lonely stretch of land between Riviera and Raymondville we're in the left lane, cruise control set at 65, when out of nowhere we see a white calf in our lane! I step on the brakes enough to swerve out of the way, I'm able to correct it without flipping over and on we travel. The conversation got livelier especially as Nellie remembered her dad's tales about a mysterious white calf in these areas. The one thing he stressed to his nephews who lived on ranches, "Never follow a white calf at night." Great! We didn't turn back. We were too sleepy! Thank You, Lord for safe travel! We got home at about 12:30 and by 1:30 we were asleep.

My sermon in Manchaca was on Paul's dilemma as found in Philippians 1:21-20:

21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23 I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26 so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. 27 Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28 and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing. 29 For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— 30 since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

I stressed that all of us should be so blessed: Having a great postive, faith-based outlook on life AND death. Paul knew Christ to be real so that made both his life and death things he didn't fear and in fact looked forward to. Living meant more opportunities to share Christ. Death would mean a reunion with Jesus. What's the problem he seems to ask?

We're the problem when we fear one or the other more than we should. Life is wonderful when lived in Christ (remember John 10:10: "I have come that they (that's you and me) might have life and that in abundance." I shared with them some intro thoughts on George Dawson's "Life is So Good" book that I recently started reading; he faced some of life's most awful challenges including not being able to read or write until he was 98 years old. Yes, ninety-eight, not a typo! And at 103 he, with the help of a newspaper reporter wrote the book. What's our atttitude having learned to read in first grade?

Death is a part of God's plan and a life lived in Christ never ends. Jesus' many promises about Heaven and life after life are found in John, look at chapter 11 and chapter 14; great teachings and promises about that great unknown that scares so many of us. Christ's desire is to have us with him thus His going to "prepare a place." What better thing to help us live life do we need?

PRAYER: God of the always new, make new my faith in You and in life and in that which comes after life. May each day bring me an opportunity to share You and when the days of opportunity end, and I find myself face to face with You, embrace me and welcome me. Life is so good and I want to live it in abundance. I pray all this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

OUR MIDWEEK PRAYER

Good day dear friends.

As we have our daily prayer and devotions, please pray for Danny Burke, husband of Rev. Kim Burke of Buda UMC. Danny is undergoing hernia surgery this morning. We also request prayers for Ashley Furst who is undergoing labor; her blood pressure and that of the baby has gone very low and doctors were concerned. Ashley lives in El Paso. Also today Mrs. Rita Tanberg is undergoing a procedure here in Harlingen and we pray the Lord be with her and her husband Carl Lee Tanberg.

Please also pray for the family of Kathe Stewart; her funeral is this morning at Rudy Garza Funeral Home at 10 am. I will be officiating.

Here is our prayer guide: Our midweek day of prayer. Pray that God would help us and all who are facing difficult decisions.

PRAYER: Loving God of all life, we thank You for the precious gift of life. May we know that each day we have Your presence and guiding Spirit to help us in the difficult decisions that come our way. Guide us to making those that are for Your honor and glory. Lord, you have heard the prayers lifted up for those mentioned above and we place them in Your hands. May comfort, healing, joy, and wholeness come to each. Guide the doctors, surgeons, and nurses in their care of those we love. Above all things may You be glorified. We pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

PARENTS IN THE FAITH

Good day dear friends.

As you spend time in prayer today, please be in prayer for Nellie and I as we travel to Manchaca UMC this weekend. I will be preaching at that church at the very cordial and longstanding invitation of a dear friend and Christian brother, Dr. Steven Sweet. The sermon title is "The Bigger Dilemma" and it's based on life and death. Is that clue enough? Thank you for your prayers!

Here is today's study guide: Again in Genesis, chapter 12:1-5 we find the story of the “Father of the Faith.” Read these verses to discover why he’s called that.

Here is that text from Genesis 12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan.
Abraham, not Adam, is considered the father of the faith. There are of course, several reasons, but the greatest is that Abraham made an important decision of faith at God's request. It was a most difficult request to leave his country and his family, especially his father's house to go to an unknown land. The promise was that God would make of him a great nation complete with blessings. Not an easy request for anyone of any age, but keep in mind that Abraham was 75 years old when this request came. The only sweat most of us want to have in those days is from 18 rounds of golf, a nice tennis match, or a victory at shuffleboard (I'm showing my age, aren't I?). A nice cold glass of Metamucil (in the olden days it would have been two tablespoons of Geritol), a stroll through the garden, then inside to watch The Price is Right. Not to uproot and leave! Yet, that was God's request.

What has God asked of you? Does it seem difficult if not impossible? Are you able to do it? Of course, you won't do it alone, you'll have God with you guiding you and using you, so what's holding you back? Our theme this entire week is making the God-decisions in all of our decisions. Not all are easy and yet all have consequences. What will you choose?

In many respects you and I are the fathers and mothers of faith for others whether we realize it or not. What are we showing by our parenting in the faith?

PRAYER: Loving God, help me to be a great father/mother in the faith to those who are looking upon me. May their decisions be made easier because they've seen me make mine trusting completely in you. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

FREE WILL:GOD'S GIFT

Good day dear friends.

For all of our non-Harlingen friends, today is Day Two of a Twenty-Day Prayer Commitment we've made to join our police chief, and other Christian communities to be in prayer against gang violence. Yes, Harlingen has a gang problem and our chief, thank God, is a man of faith and prayer, and realizes our prayers will help us win the war against violence. We also recognize the gang problem exists because of a breakdown in the home and we're praying for all families and each member, to step up to the plate to do their part in making their family strong. We're calling God to help fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, etc. to be more commited to loving each other and making each other feel a part of the family. Please join us pray against gang violence!

Here is our study guide for today: God created us with free will and that’s when all the trouble started! Read again Genesis 3: 1-7 and see where it all began. How would you have “played” it differently?

Here is that text from Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, "You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.' " 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, F11 knowing good and evil." 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Free will is a gift and it leads most of us to be curious. What will I miss out if I don't try this or don't do this, is what we usually say. As I mentioned in my sermon my hardest thing about losing weight is turning down different foods that I think, "If I don't take this now, I may never have this chance again!" The reality is that most of us eat about 80-90,000 meals in our life time, so the odds are great that if we turn down this piece of pie or cake, it will be offered to us again, usually really soon. The same is true about those temptations that cause us to fall from grace. We think we're not hurting anyone and no one will see us and then we go ahead and do just what we're not supposed to, and sadly realize that we've hurt many.

As Christians we're called to live our free will in making decisions that guide us closer to God and to each other, rather than the other way around. God loves us and gives us free will in the hopes we would make the right decisions about life, especially the eternity decision, that we would choose to spend eternity with Him rather than separated from Him.

PRAYER: God of free will and love, guide me in my understanding to make the choices and decisions that bless you. I ask this in Jesus' precious Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

OUR DAY OF SERVICE

Good day dear friends.

As we seek to do God's will today, let us, besides prayer, do something
to bless someone. May our actions help those who feel defeated or down
on their luck. May we never think we are too good, too important, or
too busy to help. I read in today's paper that Tony Romo, the
quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, recently stitched up with 12
stitches from his victory Sunday, stopped (and he was the only one of
100s who zoomed by this family in need) to help a family patch up a
flat tire on a busy Dallas freeway.

Also, as you pray for those in the hurricane's path, remember this
request from Richard Waits, a longtime ConCafe reader from San
Antonio: "And pray for the crazy cellular tower technicians who are
heading that way to help keep phone service up...am I insane?"

No, Richard, you're brave and you're doing a vital job. May the Lord
watch over Richard and those like him staying behind to keep vital
services going.

Blessings,

e.v.

OUR MIDWEEK PRAYER

Loving God, I want the faith of those seventy "others" that You sent to minister to the world, appointed and anointed by You to do Your will. May my words today be only those of healing faith that help heal the hurts of the world. May my thoughts be Your thoughts guided by that which is noble, honorable, pure and praiseworthy. May my hands be instruments of peace and wholeness, helping, lifting and building that which is Yours. God, you know many await the coming of this storm in the Gulf but we do so with our prayers of faith solidly trusting in You. May You guide this storm to an area where we pray again, no one would be hurt and the damage would be minimal. Thus is our faith. We pray for the sick and those in hospitals and care centers that have been or might be uprooted for their safety. May their travel be safe, painless and guided by You.

I pray a blessing on Your church, Your servants, my family, my enemies and all the people of the world. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

PS You know this storm is serious, Friday night football have been moved to Thursday all over the Valley!

APPOINTED BY GOD

Good day dear friends.

Here is our study guide for today: In Luke 10 we find the call of 70 people to go and do the work of God. These were not the Disciples, but “others.” Please read from verse 1 to verse 24. What motivation can we Christians find in there for us?

Here is that passage from Luke 10: 1 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. 2 He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace to this house!' 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 "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.' 12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. 13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. 16 "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." 17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" 18 He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 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. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." 21 At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." 23 Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."

This week's sermon was called, "Put Me In, Coach." It's part of our WINNING series. The sermons have been about living life according to God's plan and purpose and this week's topic was about being prepared to respond well whenever called or given an opportunity to serve God.

You can almost see the joy of Jesus in this passage at the willingness of seventy folks to go and do His Father's will. Keep in mind these were not the twelve, but a group that followed Jesus as well. These were "appointed" by Jesus and given authority to go in great haste to do GOd's work. They were to go into towns and spread the message of God's love as well as to cure the sick. The purpose of that preaching mission was to share God's healing and wholeness. As wonderful as that is, Jesus knew that not everyone would be willing to hear God's word and so

He gave instructions on what to do with those people. Here you can hear the anger in Jesus' voice about those who are inhospitable towards God's servants. The outline of what awaits them is quite clear.

The seventy returned with great joy. What they did amazed even them. "Even the demons submit to us!" was part of their happy response. Jesus replies that He saw "Satan fall from heaven" a reference to the defeat that the enemy suffers when people do the will of God.

Ours is to serve the Lord in all times and in all ways. Ours is to be ready to be appointed and authorized to do God's bidding. Ours is to have the faith that with God with us, nothing, not even "demons" can stand in the way of God's victory.

PRAYER: Loving God, we thank You for Your presence with us and for the "appointments" that come our way. Prepare us and use us. May all we do be done for You and for Your glory. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

A HEART TO LOVE ALL

Good day dear friends.

I forgot to mention for your online pastors that if you click on this link you can find some sermon starters for this period in the Lectionary. Yours truly was asked by the UM Publishing House to write this and that was quite an honor.
http://www.umph.org/pdfs/circuitrider/ACPS003806PDF001.pdf

Here is our study guide for this week: In Acts 6:8ff, we find the sad story of Stephen, whom the Bible says was “full of grace and power, (and) did great wonders and signs among the people.” His faith was an example of a willingness to do what God had asked of him. How does your faith compare?

Here is that text from Acts 6:8 Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. 11 Then they secretly instigated some men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." 12 They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. 13 They set up false witnesses who said, "This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us." 15 And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Stephen's "success" or "winning secret" was 1) Knowing the Lord, 2) Listening to Him, 3) Being filled with the Holy Spirit, and 4) Doing God's will. The sad thing was here is a man of God doing God's work for all people and another "church" as it were (synagogue), "could not withstand the wisdome the Spirit with which he spoke." Imagine jealousy and envy in the church?? No way, right?? They decided they would silence him and so, like Jesus, came up with false accusations of his speaking against the house of God. Yet, even in the face of those accusations, verse 15 says "his face was like the face of an angel."

How many of us can stay and angelic in the face of lies and falsehoods against us and our ministry? Stephen never lost God's love for others because God had placed that love in his heart. And God will do the same for us if we ask. A famous pastor of a very large church once presented to another group of us and opened with, "You all think I have it made because I have this huge church and I've been the sole pastor all these years, but let me tell you, there is a group here that does not like me or what I say or do. And guess what they sit on the front pews of the church to remind me of their dislike, so every Sunday I pray this simple prayer as I walk from my seat to the pulpit, 'Lord, give me a heart to love these people.'"

Where do you feel less than appreciated? It is precisely there that you need to ask for God to share with you that which you need.

PRAYER: God of endless love, fill my heart for You, your people and myself. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

A GIANT OF FAITH FACING DAILY GIANTS

Good day dear friends.

Here is our study guide for today:

1 Samuel 17 is the most recognized story of size vs. faith. Please read the entire chapter and see what “giants” you can defeat with faith in God.

Here is that entire chapter: 1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul and the Israelites gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and formed ranks against the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. 4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." 10 And the Philistine said, "Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together." 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years. 13 The three eldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle; the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest; the three eldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening. 17 Jesse said to his son David, "Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers; 18 also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See how your brothers fare, and bring some token from them." 19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. 24 All the Israelites, when they saw the man, fled from him and were very much afraid. 25 The Israelites said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will greatly enrich the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter and make his family free in Israel." 26 David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" 27 The people answered him in the same way, "So shall it be done for the man who kills him." 28 His eldest brother Eliab heard him talking to the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David. He said, "Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart; for you have come down just to see the battle." 29 David said, "What have I done now? It was only a question." 30 He turned away from him toward another and spoke in the same way; and the people answered him again as before. 31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul; and he sent for him. 32 David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." 33 Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." 37 David said, "The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine." So Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you!" 38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. 41 The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field." 45 But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand." 48 When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there was no sword in David's hand. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; he grasped his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him; then he cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 The troops of Israel and Judah rose up with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath F110 and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 The Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent. 55 When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is this young man?" Abner said, "As your soul lives, O king, I do not know." 56 The king said, "Inquire whose son the stripling is." 57 On David's return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

The entire key of this chapter, if not the entire Bible, is faith. David had a most interesting and dangerous childhood. As a boy shepherd he encountered lions and bears and these he defeated because of his faith. I believe each day in the pasture, as someone once said, was preparing him for the palace. And the road to the palace went through the battlefield with this giant, Goliath. David was ready and he was victorious.

This Sunday I will be preaching on the preparation one receives while living life to face life. David's life prepared him for some of the toughest battles one could ever hope to NOT face, but through most of them, he used his faith to overcome and be a victor.
What "giant" are you facing? We all face giants every day. How we face them will determine our victory or defeat. If we face our giants with faith we can have an outcome unlike the one we even hoped to have.

PRAYER: Loving God, let me this day be a giant of faith as I face the giants in my life. Make my life an example of true faith. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

YOU ARE FROM GOD!

Good day dear friends.

As we prayed on Sunday and before and after, Hurricane Gustav did not directly hit New Orleans. Last night I heard though, of eight lives having been lost during this tragic storm, so please pray for the families of those victims.

Here is our study guide for today: i John 4:4-6 again speaks of how God’s people should view things in life, especially challenges. Read that passage and apply it to your life and your challenges.

Here is that passage from 1 John 4:4 Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

We are from God; what an awesome thought! Set in a context addressing spiritual forces of wickedness and evil, the next part of the verse addresses those, we, because of God, "have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

Being from God is enough, but add to it the knowledge that we are conquerors over evil, and that Christ Jesus who lives in us is greater than "the one who is in the world."

Now, what was it that you/I were facing? As Mr. T used to say, "I pity the fool (or fill in the blank of that which you are facing)!"

PRAYER: God of power and might, I celebrate being from You. I celebrate the victory that is mine in all things today. I can with Your help and presence overcome and conquer that which is troubling me. Help me to share that message with others. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.

HAPPY LABOR DAY! DON'T LABOR TOO MUCH TODAY!

Good day dear friends.

I trust we are all still praying for our brothers and sistera long the Gulf Coast as Gustav bears down on them. Thank God Gustav came in as a Category 3 compared to what it was just a day or so ago.

Here is our study guide for today: In the OT book of Numbers, chapter 13, verses 30-33, we find a famous reference to attitude. Please read it and compare the two attitudes towards the enemy and the challenge they posed to God’s people. What would have been your attitude?

Here is that text from Numbers 13:30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it." 31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against this people, for they are stronger than we." 32 So they brought to the Israelites an unfavorable report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land that we have gone through as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are of great size. 33 There we saw the Nephilim (the Anakites come from the Nephilim); and to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."

Two attitudes from two groups. Is that something new? No, of course not. One's attitude is shaped by many things as I shared yesterday in my sermon. Fear is a great thing and can cause our response to many things. But so can faith. That was the major difference between Caleb and "the men who had gone up with (Caleb)" to assess the potential danger between the Israelites and their enemy. Do you notice the difference between facing something with fear and facing it with faith?

PRAYER: Loving God, fill my heart, mind, spirit, and body with faith. May it be faith in You that overcomes all fear. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

e.v.