SHARING THE SIMPLE THINGS OF LIFE: RAIN!

Loving God, precious is Your word. Speak truth and counsel to this dear reader in all that they may face today. In Christ Jesus' name, amen.

God bowled early this morning, strike after strike did He make! The rumble of that bowling ball thundered across the sky. Do you think God would bowl spares and gutter balls? Then came the flashes of the pictures God would take. Not only the best camera, but the best flash! Nothing hidden, no shadows! What memories did God want; what images did He take? Then God cried, huge tears fell on my window; just in me alone was reason enough to make God cry.

I remembered trying to explain rain to my girls. Nellie and I had fun talking about it and trying to make things interesting and fun. And yes, here in Harlingen at about 4 a.m. we had and are still having a nice rain. I need to add, much needed and asked for rain.

It's in Genesis 2:5 that the writer first explains rain. "(W)hen no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground;" this implies a shared responsibility for rain and its effects: God causes the rain and we have to "till the ground." In fact, today's Upper Room devotional is about water and most appropriate to those receiving rain. We know that some parts of the country have had more than their share, and we pray for their safety and the safety and protection of those who are homeless and without shelter during times like this.

Rain, for some people, symbolizes other things. It was and may still be, for those marrying on days of rain, an ominous sign. I remember it rained on the day I was to preach for the very first time for my Preaching class in seminary. My dear professor and I ran between buildings and he reminded me (thank you very much!) that I was to preach later in the day and I replied, "Well, I hope this rain isn't a bad sign of things to come!" He paused and smiled and said, "What, this renewing and refreshing of the earth as a bad sign? I think not!" And off he went, and blessed I stayed.

May the sound of rain and the heat of the sun always serve at least one thing, a precious reminder, God is with us!

PRAYER: Lord God of all the universe, I thank you for the rain and I thank you for each day and the joys and surprises the day may bring. I thank you for standing with me when the unexpected turns out to be less than welcome. Even then, as now, You are here and for that I am thankful. Bless and protect those who find no shelter during rain or heat or even cold. Let me be a part of the help they can receive. Bless and protect my loved ones, and let me be a blessing to them as well. I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

SHARING THE SIMPLE THINGS OF LIFE

God of all people, smile down upon your child today in all that she or he faces; in Jesus' Name, amen.

I will never forget the first smiles of my children nor my grandchildren thus far. I remember Liam's first smile for he was a very serious baby at first. When he was first born he was alert and attentive to the voices around him. As had been the case with my daughters, he recognized my voice and had this wide opened eyes to marvels of this new life that he had. Unlike Saraí Evangelina, who lived with us her first few months, we had to leave Liam to return home. As we called those first days I asked about his having smiled yet. Early in his life they paid us a visit here and I made that my goal for the visit; to make Liam smile. Thank God Liam is a smiling, now laughing baby.

I believe a smile is one of the most precious gifts God gave us. It's a sign of contentment and gratitude and joy; and all smiles were meant to be shared. The worship song, "Surely the Presence of The Lord" says, "I see glory on each face," and to me that's what a smile is, the sharing of God's glory with those who are in need of it. Mark Twain has been credited, though I am not sure, for saying, "The problem with most Christians is that they walk around as if they had been baptized in lemon juice." Sad indictment of those who should know the joy and the glory of the Lord! I did an early morning search of the word "smiled," trying and hoping to find a verse that said that "God smiled." Did you know that in most modern translation the word "smiled" appears only in one place? Can you guess and would you believe it is in the Book of Job? And it is the "old man" himself who smiled upon his friends and "their faces lit up and their troubles took wing." (The Message). It is The Message version of the Bible that does have a "God smiled" verse and that comes from Psalm 85:1, "God smiled upon your good earth!"

So, it's biblical. God smiles, so can we. Job smiled, and we all remember what troubles were his, but we also know of Job's deep love for God even in the most dismal of circumstances. May it be so with us today as well. May your first witness of the day be a smile that reflects God's glory on your face and God's joy in your heart!

PRAYER: Lord, you've shown the people of science that it takes more facial muscles to frown than it does to smile, and what joy can be spread through a sincere and warm smile. Place that on my face today. Let it reflect Your glory and may it bring a blessing to others. It's a simple thing, but a good thing to do. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

(Smiling)

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SCRAMBLED EGGS!

God of heaven and earth, bless the life of this dear reader in all that she or he may need. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Yoked with God, we can be scrambled eggs. We find that in Acts 10. On Sunday I shared with the congregation that during my first year at seminary I had to take a year-long course called Super Bible. It took two professors to teach it; an Old Testament one and a New Testament one. They took turns teaching and one of the requirements of the course was to meet with the professors to discuss one chapter assigned by them from anywhere in The Bible. The chapter assigned to me was Acts 10. I was blessed during that 90 minutes of sharing and being shared to.

Acts 10 is where the emphasis of the gospel shifts from just Jews to all people. In fact, chapter 9 is where we see the calling of a man named Saul of Tarsus to become an evangelist to all, whose major successes were among the Gentiles (non-Jews). In chapter ten we meet a devout believer in God who is not a Jew. Somewhere, somehow, Cornelius heard about God and believed. Whoever shared with him their faith did a good job, for we see Cornelius is a devout man who prays and worships regularly and is a generous giver. He's also a career Roman military man with at least one hundred men at his disposal. During his 3 o'clock prayer hour God shares a vision with him about calling for a man named Simon, called Peter, who is staying with Simon the tanner at his beach house. Cornelius has no idea why, but he does. He sends a trusted soldier along with two servants to fetch Peter. Meanwhile, Peter is being prepared for this upcoming visit, as when he goes to do his prayers, he is very hungry and asks for something to be prepared for him to eat. Peter goes into a God-induced trance and in this state sees a huge net descend from Heaven contained all sorts of animals, mainly the kind a good Jew like himself would never eat. Yet, the voice from Heaven says, "Rise, kill, and eat." Peter defends himself and says he would never do such a thing and that he had never done such a thing. But then God says, "What God has made clean, no longer should it be considered unclean." This happened three times so that Peter would get the message that God was indeed behind this.

Peter visits Cornelius and then understand his vision and the pressing need for him to share with Cornelius and the others present, the good news about Jesus Christ. Every person who had gathered there received the Holy Spirit and were baptized as well. Now we see the Christian Church become a scrambled egg gathering, as it should be even today. Quite a shift from being one where it was argued, Should one be a Jew first, then a Christian? Paul would argue no, one need only be a Christian. This discussion was only about Jews; now the reality is that God wants all people in the Church!

What are we doing about that? Are we allowing, and by this I mean, loving and receiving all who visit, in the spirit that encourages others to become a part of our church family? Are we making them feel a part of God's family? Or do our stares and glares make them feel like they don't belong and have made a mistake wandering into our churches? If we are yoked with God, we will love and welcome all people.

PRAYER: God of all people, forgive us the days we sought to be a church for the "like-me's" only. I now understand better than before, that the Church is Yours and I'm blessed to be a part of it. Help me to invite and welcome all to it. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

YOKED WITH CHRIST TO LIVE BOLDLY

God of all goodness, rain down blessings on the needs of this dear reader. In Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

The point of this week has been to yoke with Christ to live our lives boldly. The verse for this comes from verse 31 of Acts 4: "When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. " Once we are filled with God's Holy Spirit, which comes by asking, we are yoked with Christ. A blessing for God and others is that we can live our lives, share a witness, give to Him, serve others, with boldness. One of the first things that I asked God to remove from my life was my shyness. To be a pastor and one who preaches, requires a degree of boldness. Every Sunday God grants that to me as I step from my chair to the pulpit.

The Church would not have survived as long as it has had it not been for the boldness of others. My parents boldly lived and shared their faith. My Sunday school teachers boldly accepted and stepped into the classroom to teach the Word of God. My pastors accepted the responsibility to preach and that required boldness. To say to Satan, "I am not staying in bed or going here or there instead of church!" requires boldness. All of us need boldness to just say a positive word of hope and encouragement to someone else. May that be our goal for this weekend: To love someone enough to say to them, God loves and cares for you.

PRAYER: God of love and hope, share with me that which I need to be a person who serves You boldly. May I speak a word and live my life boldly today. I ask this in Jesus Christ precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

GOD'S STIMULUS PACKAGE

God of Wholeness, please fill the voids in the life, if any, of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus' precious Name, amen.

Prayer Request: For Lindsay who faces a special need. God knows her need and we pray for God to richly bless her.

Imagine joining a church where all your needs were met? We're talking ALL of your needs: spiritual and physical hunger, spiritual and physical thirst, spiritual and physical nakedness, spiritual and physical loneliness, and the topper: your financial needs were met as well! In a seminar I attended a couple of years ago, this senior pastor of a megachurch said that when they hire new people to work for them, the first thing they do is pay off all their bills. The reason? They want their focus to be completely on the work of the Lord with NO distractions. Amen!

Such is the case in Acts 4:32-37. Here is that text:

32 Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33 With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 35 They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"). 37 He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Talk about a stimulus package! This church was of "one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions." I smile as I type this because we have members who think they own particular pews! And that would be funny enough, but these folks fight for them and do not care they run folks off by doing so. Anyway, I digress, we're talking about First Church Jerusalem! The folks gave witness of their faith to complete strangers, and God's "great grace was upon them all." Here's another awesome part, "There was not a needy person among them." It explains that if anyone in that church owned property, they sold it, and brought the profits and gave it to the apostles, who in turn, shared it with all. How times have seen US change.

We wonder why most of our churches are not growing. We have come so far from caring for others and have become institutions of tradition and comfort. We own not only the pews, but also the thermostat, the sound system, the hymns (or songs), the bulletins (at least during the hour of worship, then we toss them with no regard for the prayer needs listed in them), etc., etc. As long as we're being "cared for," and that's why we hire pastors and staff, we're all right. Friends, we have wandered off too far from where God would have us be. And it's not a good place where we are. That's why our sermon series is called "Yoked." We need to yoke with God to do and be exactly as God wants.

PRAYER: Loving God of all, forgive me for being among those comfortable with things. Let me never stop caring for the guests we receive in worship. Open my mind, heart, and spirit to know how I can best greet, welcome, and love them. Let a move back to the spirit of that first church begin with me. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Love,

Eradio Valverde

WONDERFUL, INCREDIBLE, UNEXPLAINABLE THINGS

Loving God, healing belongs to You; share whatever this dear reader needs. In Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Prayer Request: This morning at Harlingen Medical Center, John Akers is undergoing surgery to have a heart stint put in. Please keep John and his wife, Sue, in your prayers.

I have been going to church all of my life. That sounds very familiar, doesn't it? As a result I became a believer at an early age. The idea of yoking with Christ was shared with me some Sunday morning by one of my pastors and I made the invitation to Jesus to enter into my heart. That changed my perspective on life. I have to admit I was fascinated by the word of God and whenever I had control of the television I would stop at those channels where God's word was being shared. Among the early televangelists I saw A. A. Allen, Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, and Kathryn Kuhlman. Somehow I got on Gene Ewing's mailing list, receiving a "Gold Book" which was really a coupon book for my sending in monthly donations to this man's ministry. He promised I would get financially blessed if I did. We both missed out I suppose. What intrigued me most about these folks was their claim to be involved in divine healings, some on the air. I saw as these preachers claimed to heal "short leg" problems; one leg was always shorter than the other and miracle of miracles, live on recorded television, "both legs are the same size now!"

I share that because I truly believe healing belongs to God. I truly believe that in some cases, through prayer, God can still heal in some unexplainable, incredible way. The basis for this comes from Acts 3 where Peter and John, two of the apostles, heal a man who for forty (40) years had been crippled and depended on the kindness of others to lift him and place him at the entrance to the Temple, where he hoped worshiping folks might share an alm with him. On that day this man asks for alms from Peter and John who reply, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you; In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" Peter takes the man by the hand and the Bible says "his feet and his ankles were strengthened." The cool thing is that this man followed them into the Temple, to praise God and give thanks for his healing. Read verse 8: "Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God." Don't you love that last part about "walking and leaping and praising God?" When was the last time you leaped into church? And please don't say it was when you smelled freshly baked cinnamon rolls.

Yoked with Christ, Peter and John shared what they knew; that God heals. Men of prayer, for they were going to the Temple at the hour of prayer, these knew that God could do wonderful, incredible, unexplainable things. That story continues with Peter and John being hauled into the Council to be interrogated about how and in whose name they had done these things. They reply there is only one name through which healing comes, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The council deliberates their verdict and all they could determine was that these two were "companions of Jesus." And they were. Are you? If you're yoked with God, your life will make a difference in the lives of others. And that's all God wants.

PRAYER: Take my life Lord, and let it be consecrated to Thee. Let me be Your companion so that I may be yoked with You and serve You in ways that You will find wonderful and beautiful. Bring healing to those who today face surgery or live in pain. Let my prayers reflect the faith I should have in You. Let me be Your witness. In Jesus' Name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

THE MIRACLE OF A NEW YOU!

Loving God bless the needs, calm the fears and use this dear reader today. In Christ's precious and powerful name, amen.

I have always loved the movies. I blame my Mom for that love. She loved the movies and she and her sisters would attend a theatre that I wish was still standing, called La Carpa (The Tent). It was, and I'm using footage in my mind, a amphitheatre structure made of concrete and the roof was awning, thus the name. They showed Mexican movies in it. One night she took me as a little boy of about four, to "Love Me Tender" a movie starring Elvis Presley. I'll never forget that my dad stayed home with my newborn sister, Sylvia. I know this because halfway through the movie my dad walked into the theatre with Sylvia because she needed her diaper changed. Mom had to leave the movie to change her, then come back. She helped comfort this four year old who really thought Elvis had died as he had in the movie.

Later on, every Saturday was movie day for me and my friends. The challnge came when my Mom would ask, "Why don't you take your brother?" By now the luxury years of being the only child and the big brother of one, were over. My family kept growing and I was still the big brother, but now to two brothers and two sisters. My closest brother in age was five years younger and just at that point where he too could "play outside,' he wanted to hang around with me and my friends. What did he know about the adventures and great conversations about life we were having? And why would we want to take this kid with us on our walk to the movies? Most days I could get away with saying, "No, he'll only be in the way!" She understood that, but sometimes she didn't or wouldn't and I would have to take him. Some years later I was working and making my own money and she would insist that I not only take him but pay for him as well. To this day that boy owes me a lot of money.

The first four chapters of Acts include many miracles that can be summed up in this way: When we truly yoke with Christ and allow His Holy Spirit to live and work in us, miracles do occur. They're recorded in the pages of Acts. The miracle of boldness in our positive sharing about our faith in God. The miracle of hearing God's Word in new and exciting ways. The miracle of transformation. The miracle of healing. The miracle of fellowship. The miracle of sharing. All examples of God taking us away from the way we are or like to be, to the place where we need to be. I shared on Sunday how all children are born with a need for self-preservation thus their knowing very early the meaning and need to use the word, "mine!" In some adults that is never removed and they grow up as selfish, self-centered old folks, and they wonder why no one really likes them, even their children. The miracle of Pentecost was the miracle of God opening and operating on hearts in a way that made them new, joyful and thankful. I thank God for my family and I enjoy time that I get to spend with them all and I know it is the result of God working in my heart and help mold me into the person I know I should be.

What miracles need to happen in your life? Have you asked God to take you to the place you know you need to be?

PRAYER: God of life-changing moments and power, change my heart to one of pure love. Help me overcome old biases and prejudices and self-centered thinking. Make my heart new and help me be the person you called me to be. Let me truly be a person of love towards all. Let my life be seen as a miracle! I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! (Yes, yesterday's same closing was in Czech).

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SERVING GOD RIGHT!

God of love and mercy, rain down Your grace on this dear reader; in Jesus' precious and holy name, amen.

I love languages and I have a regret that I don't speak more. I find that when people are speaking in a language I don't understand I am intrigued and wish I had learned their language. One summer my Dad got me a job where he worked. Those were great days of being "grown-up." My Mom would wake me early, I'd shower and dress, then Dad and I would ride to work together. We'd get to the plant, park and have our breakfast together. Homemade tortilla tacos and a thermos of hot, very well sugared coffee. That particular summer I was assigned to work with a man named Charlie Kucera. My job was to help in the washing, with freon (terrible on the eyes!) the mother boards that would go into the huge computer cabinets that this company was making for oil exploration trucks. I failed to mention these were the early 70s and we were still about 15 years or so away from the introduction of personal computers. Charlie was Czech and he taught me a few Czech words and I wish I had had more time to learn the entire language. Charlie was a very shy, proper man and I learned from one of his co-workers that a week prior to his wedding day, Charlie's intended was killed in a automobile-train accident. Charlie never recovered so he never married. His joy was his work and taking care of his mother, then it became teaching me a little Czech. Oh, the doors that has opened to me!

One General Conference I was standing by an elevator and saw that the gentleman next to me was a delegate from Czechoslovakia. I said good morning to him in Czech and you would have thought that I had told him he had won the lottery. After an extended period of time from being away from home and probably after having to hear the headsets our out-of-country brothers/sisters wore to understand our English, to hear someone greet him in his own language was a blessing. He started sharing with me in Czech things I did not understand and I smiled and told him so. He, thankfully, spoke English, and so he told me he never expected someone in America to speak Czech. I told him I wished I knew the entire language and explained to him about Charlie and how in Texas there are communities where some of the elderly there have grown up without ever having learned English. What a blessed experience that I will never forget.

We're doing a sermon series called Yoked and it's a quick study in the Book of Acts. The logo our graphic artist developed is a fried egg with the yoke showing the reflection of the cross. What we've shared is that by being in relationship with God and being "yoked" with the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to do what God intended. The first result of that yoking was that God sent the Holy Spirit as "tongues of fire" and the power shared with the apostles was to speak in other languages, to tell of the good works of God in other languages.

God wants us to reach the world. We should become "all things for all people" to reach them and tell them of God's great love for them. Never should we assume an attitude of "Well, if they can't speak English, that's their tough luck or their loss!" No. God cares enough for us as well and as much as God cares for others who will never learn English. And I personally believe it goes beyond just our spoken languages; God can use music, yes, of all times, included that we call "Contemporary," realizing that "O For A Thousand Tongues" to sing once was a "contemporary" song, based on a bar song, written to reach all people for God.

PRAYER: Loving God of all people, forgive my ignorance of other langauges and forgive my attitude at times when I judge others and their seeming lack of that which they need to be like me; let me be like them, use me to reach them. Teach me new languages, new music, new art, new poems, new and wonderful expressions of Your great love. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Mít jeden celek a blažený čas do člen určitý Hospodin!

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WE THANK GOD FOR STRONG WOMEN!

Loving Father, be merciful to the needs of this dear reader. In Christ's Name, amen.

ALL: Thank you for your prayers for Saraí Evangelina, our granddaughter. Her surgery went well and she's already home. She was a bit cranky afterwards as one would expect.

In the fourth chapter of Judges, we're introduced to a prophetess by the name of Deborah. She was a woman of strong faith and because of that faith had been set up as a judge over God's people. As a prophet, she was in charge of almost every aspect of the people's lives; the spiritual, political, criminal and civil, and the military. In verse 6, she sends for a man named Barak, whom God has requested, by name, to go and fight an important battle for the Israelites. Now, the great thing about being called by name by God, is that God has already figured out and done all the advance work necessary for the task at hand. In this case, God said fight the battle, and the battle is yours. It's a no-brainer. God had already planned the strategy and the way in which to win the battle. All Barak had to do was show up!

The truth was that Barak, like most of us, was afraid. His response to Deborah and to God was, "I'll only go, if you go with me!" Now, fellas, this is a bit embarrassing I know, but it's recorded in the Bible. Women, enjoy it and claim it! This general, if you please, trained in battle and supposedly ready for battle, will go only if Deborah would go with him. He needed a presence and an assurance that God was with him and for him it was in the form of this strong woman of faith.

I live with a strong woman of faith and I feel great in her presence and in her prayers. I've waged many a battle alongside my woman, and I thank God for her. But what Barak needed, that I have, is my own personal faith in God. Until you do have it, learn from and be blessed by those who do have it. If you have a strong woman of faith learn from her but seek that which God can give you, and that is your own personal faith in the Lord.

PRAYER: Loving God, I thank you for the story of Deborah and her strong faith. I thank you for the women in my life who have blessed and strengthened me. I thank you for my wife who walks with me and has helped and blessed me. Bless this dear reader in his/her quest for the faith to do that which You has asked of them. I pray this prayer of faith in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

WE THANK GOD FOR WOMEN OF STRONG FAITH!

Gracious and loving God, please bless this dear reader and all s/he may face today. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Dear friends, greetings from Wilmore, KY where I am attending the semi-annual board meeting of Asbury Theological Seminary. I apologize for not having sent out the ConCafes for Tuesday and today, but our schedule is hectic and I have not had immediate access to the internet and on one occasion, my own laptop! I hope to send one out later today for today and this one will count for yesterday.

Please be in serious prayer for my granddaughter, Saraí Evangelina Cortez, 2 yrs old, who undergoes dental surgery tomorrow in San Marcos. As you can imagine her mom and dad are very nervous about this as are her grandparents on both sides, but we know with all of us praying, God will bless her and allow her to come out of this with His blessings.

Her name is Jocabeth and she was a woman of deep faith. Her faith allowed her to have courage to stand up to the most powerful leader in the world, and to defy the order of the day which was to reduce the population of her type of babies. Don't you hate when someone refers to someone else, as "your type of people?" She lived through this. Her type of people were Hebrews and the leader in question was Pharoah, who had ordered that all male children born to the Hebrew women were to be put to death. She gave birth to a son and for three months nursed him and loved him. She thanked God the Hebrew midwives did not follow the order of Pharoah for he knew they would not kill the children and ordered them to throw the male children into the Nile River, but they did not follow this either.

When the baby was three months old, trusting God, she placed her son into a floating basket and allowed him to float down the river to the place where Pharoah's daughter bathed daily. Jocabeth sent her daughter to watch the basket and to watch over her son's journey. When the baby was found, the royal daughter claimed the child as her own. The baby's sister alert to this, asked if the woman wanted a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. The response was positive and of course, this girl knew the perfect Hebrew woman to do the job.

The child was, of course, Moses, future great leader of God's people in the Exodus from Egypt and a shaper of the faith during the forty years of formation in the wilderness.

We thank God for women of faith who trust God above all and everyone else. We know that by asking, all of us could have that same faith that allows for seemingly impossible things to be possible.

PRAYER: Lord God, let my faith increase today so that I can trust You more as Jocabeth did even in the face of terrible circumstances. Help me to be a person of faith and receive our thanks for women like Jocabeth who have great faith. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

WE THANK GOD FOR WOMEN!

Loving God, for all You share, I thank you for the life of this your son/daughter. Grant to them Your blessing, in Christ's Name, amen.

Happy (belated) Mother's Day to you! In honor of this special day, my sermon today as we started the new series, Yoked: A Quick Study in The Book of Acts, we started with Lydia, the "seller of purple" from Acts 16. We'll look at Lydia a bit later in the week, but for today, being Mother's Day Monday, we look at the mother of all mothers, Eve.

Eve is the name Adam gave to her. The story tells of Eve being the crowning present of all living creatures brought to the man, when God said it was not good for him to be alone. Not a suitable companion or helper or companion or partner was found among all the living animals. God knew it and the man was smart enough to know it. And to make this crowning gift even more special for the man, the story is that she came out of the man himself. The story is that God caused a deep sleep to come upon the man and while he slept, God performed a cosmic surgery and removed one of the ribs from the man and from that rib God formed a woman. From that special cage that guards the heart, came the achievement God intended for the man. She turned out to be as playful and mischievous as the man, going with him on daily exploration walks, walking alongside the man in the evening as the two of them walked with God. She even went so far as to accompany the man to the very spot God had warned them about, and it may have been her who said that they could not even touch the forbidden tree, for God never said such a thing. She as well as the man, were tempted by the serpent, and both succumbed to that temptation to become as God.

This first woman, as well as this first man, give us a clue that there is no one perfect in the pages of the Bible, except He who was God's Son. She was made as the one who enjoyed and explored life and when the time came, bore the children, also not at all perfect, of the man. Through her life with Adam, Eve quickly and sadly, learned all about life: the joys, the sorrows, the laughter, and the tears. Through her life and teaching, she also taught the children about God and how to worship and give to God, all too quickly coming to know the deep pain of death. She lived a full life, but sadly we don't know anything more about her except when she bore Adam's their third child, Seth.

Eve is like that distant figure in the old photos hanging in our grandparents' home, where only her name is mentioned and not much else is known. She, like the figure, smiles a demure smile, lips closed almost to the point of not saying much beyond her having had to have posed for the photo. Yet, she is ours, just like that figure in the photograph; whether she was good or bad, she bore someone, who bore someone, who ultimately bore us. And because of that we are alive and we should be thankful.

PRAYER: On this special day, dear God, we praise You and thank You for life and for those of our moms who bore us and gave us life. We celebrate the moms who are still with us and we pray comfort for those who today sensed the loss of moms more than normal. We thank You for those in our photographs, whose lives we know little or nothing about, but we claim them and honor them. Let me today be a person who makes a meaningful memory in the life of those around me, not for my sake, but for Yours. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

THE BACKPACK OF FEAR

Gracious and loving God, bestow on this dear reader all that she or he needs as they face the challenges and joys of life. In Jesus' Name, amen!

The last backpack is perhaps the heaviest one, if that's possible. It is the burden of fear. Don't you love those verses in the Bible where God says, "I have created man and woman to live as scared creatures - they will be unable to do anything..." If you said yes, you're not at all familiar with the Bible and I encourage you to get to a church and ask there for a free Bible. Yes, free. Most churches will give you a Bible free of charge. What you must give God and God's church is the time to read it! No where in the Bible does it say that God created us to live in fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self discipline.” God can replace our fears with courage. Think about the fears in your life: fear of failure, fear of losing your marriage, not having enough money, fears over your children's wellbeing, fear of growing old and fear of death; think about God's presence with you and God's plan for your life. It does not include our being afraid. We were just not made that way. Look back at the Creation Story, we were given power to rule over all things, not to be afraid!

Life would be more meaningful and more filled with blessing if we would confess to God that yes, we do get afraid and nervous sometimes, but those are the precise moments God wants to help us and be with you. Take that backpack off and give it to Jesus.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to live a forgiven life. I turn over to You all of my fears. Replace each one with a healthy heaping of courage! In Jesus' Name, He who had no fear and Who gave His all, AMEN!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

MORE ON REGRETS OR IF ONLY I HAD WRITTEN THIS LAST NIGHT!

Good day dear friends. I wrote last night's (actually today's) ConCafe early enough that a dear friend asked for an "elaboration." Here goes: We have at least two basic types of regrets in our lives, those things we think we should have done, and those things we wish we hadn't done. Both are heavy weights and can easily fill up your "backpack" in such a way that you're lumbering around life not free to get on with God's things in life.

The Bible verses from last night clearly show that in both cases, God does not want us to carry those things around. I asked the question yesterday, "If you could go back and re-do a part of your life, what would it be and Why?" I received many different answers. The most common was just to slow things down in those parts of our life where special days were involved or where our children were involved. But most said that things that did happen in the past happened for a good reason and we were the better for it today. I agree.

We cannot go back in time. I love the scene in a silly movie, "Napolean Dynamite," where Napolean's uncle is wishing he could go back in time to play out his football career. "If only the coach had put me in, we would have won state and I'd have gone to college and I would have gone pro!" (Of course, I'm remembering the line and those of you who might have the movie memorized will say, 'not even close.' Oh, well.) He goes to far as to ask if either of his nephews had looked into time travel. Next thing you know he's hooked up to a "time machine" he bought on the Internet and it serves only to burn him in two places; his body and his pocketbook.

Enjoy today, someone once said, it's a gift from God and that's why it's called "the present."

PRAYER: Giver of good gifts, thank you for today, for life, for health, for all that I have received both good and bad. From the good I have been richly blessed and from the bad I have learned and thus been blessed as well. Help me to share my life with others in such a way that they become blessed as well. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

LIVING WITH REGRETS? NOT A GOOD WAY TO LIVE!

Dear Lord, grant unto this dear child of yours that which she or he needs for living life to the fullest. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Jesus said, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62). Do you find yourself at times living in that special place called, "If only!"? It's an interesting place to visit, but it doesn't offer much of a life there. You get there by the only road that leads there, Regret Road. You travel there by Imagination and you think you arrive to a place that really never existed. You believe you know the folks there but there is really no one there, just you and the places you visit are the places of WhatCouldHaveBeenIfOnlyI.

Some folks invite you along, like one woman did in a class that said, "If only I had married this other guy, look where I would be! Instead of right here with this guy." Not a great place to visit and not a great trip for your spouse if you invite them along that dreary street of Regret. No one really knows what could have been, except God, and if you trusted God to get you where you are right now, you don't travel that street. That trip of looking back is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he used the illustration about a person trying to plow a row yet kept looking back. A row to grow crops is best served by the one who sets his hand and head toward the work at hand and not looking to what could have been. Regret is a heavy load to carry and one we shouldn't. You rob yourself of the joy at hand by thinking of what could have been. And by the same token one does not live well harboring regret about past sins. Paul said, "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight." (Romans 4:7).

PRAYER: Loving God, remove my regret over past sins and give me the joy of the present, with the sure knowledge that my sins have been forgiven and forgotten. Help me to be thankful for what is, not for what could have been. Lead me to where I should and need to be. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

THE BURDEN OF GRUDGES

Gracious God, giver of life, give unto this reader that which he or she needs today. In Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

The first two weights of doubt and guilt have a lot to do with what we do to others. To be relieved of those weights we must offer ourselves as those who have to be forgiven. Today's weight has to do with those who have done something against us and how we handle that. We've all been there. Someone says or does something to us and we have two options, to forgive and move on or to hold on to a grudge. Sunday, I explained a grudge as a barrier or wall we hold up against the person who has harmed us. We even go out of our way to avoid having interaction with them. And many times that other person may have moved on with her or his life and we're the ones holding the weight. And as long as we do, we are denying no one but ourselves the freedom to live full, complete lives.

Paul addresses this in Colossians 3:13, "You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." Jesus also said, "Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone" in the situation where a mob was ready to kill someone. What this really means is, is it really worth it to hold a grudge? Is it worth the pain and weight we place on ourselves because of our stubbornness and our unwillingness to forgive? The answer of course is, no. It is not worth it. We are hurting no one but ourselves. The sign on the billboard says, "Get Over It." I love that ad campaign and I thank whoever is responsbile for it. It's great advice for all of us.

PRAYER: Loving God, grant me the wisdom to learn to forgive and show compassion to those who have offended me. May the fullness of life be restored to me as I quit holding the barrier and allow love to flow both ways. I know it's not easy, so I ask Your help. In Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

TO THOSE IN THE HARLINGEN AREA: Wednesday morning, 6:30 a.m., in our Raimond Christian Center (gym), our Men's Breakfast welcomes Mr. Jerry Grote, the catcher for the 1969 Miracle Mets, winners of that year's World Series. Jerry is a man of God and you will be blessed by his message. It's open to everyone and the food is by donation. We're located at the corner of 4th and Van Burean, right behind our Sanctuary. I hope to see you all there.

THE BACKPACK OF GUILT

Loving God, let this dear reader be blessed with freedom to serve and be blessed by You today. In Christ's Name, amen.

What would have driven a writer to compose these words: "My guilt overwhelms me; it is a burden to heavy to bear?" The writer is King David himself in Psalm 38:4. This is the basis for the second, heavy backpack we carry around, the backpack of guilt. We have all done, said, or even thought, things we shouldn't and the burden of having done so weighs us down heavily. It may be evident in our walk, we seem to be looking for money on the sidewalk instead of enjoying what God so freely offers in His creation. We ask forgiveness from God, God offers it, and we don't quite receive it, choosing instead to wallow in our guilt.

Paul lived a life where murder had been involved. As far as he was concerned it was justified; to arrest and bring Christians to trial was a good and just thing. After his Damascus encounter with Jesus, that all changed. Paul had a "near-life" experience and lived his life in that way, writing later, "Everyone who believes in Him is freed from all guilt and declared right with God." (Acts 13:39). It is a declaration that still holds today. If you believe in all that Jesus did, especially taking our place on the cross and dying for us, our sins are forgiven, if we ask, and our guilt is removed!

Friend, that weight you carry around by a sin that has already been forgiven, has to come off right now. Your life cannot enjoy the riches that God offers if we stumble or fall under the weight of guilt. Confess your sins to the Lord, ask Him for forgiveness, and ask Him to remove the backpack of guilt from your life.

PRAYER: Loving God, you know my sins and I lay them before you as that which needs to be cleansed from my life. I confess that I am a sinner, and I ask, that with Your help, I may repent of my sins. Please remove the weight of guilt from my life and let me live life as Your Son taught us, that we might not only have life, but that in the fullest. I ask this in His precious Name, Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

THE BACKPACK OF DOUBT

Gracious Lord, strengthen and bless this dear reader in all that may before her or him today. In Jesus' Name, amen.

From Matthew 11:28-30 in The Message version of the Bible we find these words, ""Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. 29 Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30 Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." You might remember the original (for us)King James: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. "

I shared yesterday about the weight of my daughters' backpacks. They knew school was fast approaching when we would go in mid-August to buy them all new backpacks. We knew to get strong, sturdy packs that could carry the weight of the books, notebooks, pencils, pens, calculators, etc. The first few days of school for most were light days, but after about a week or two, the weight of each backpack was almost impossible for such tiny girls to carry, but they would. I would often pick them up at school and offer to carry their backpack and almost regreted doing so at the heavy burden they were.

Our just concluded sermon series on forgiveness centers on these very things. We carry needless burdens. Yesterday I preached on how there are in most of us, at least five unneeded backpacks that we carry. The first one is the backpack that carries Doubt. Can you find the verse that says God created us to be constantly in doubt? Is there a hymn or praise song that praises doubt? It's not in this hymnal, perhaps the new hymnal in 2012 might have one, but I pray not. But I can think of one that speaks right to the heart of our doubt; it's called "Blessed Assurance." The words reflect the belief we have that God desires to replace your doubt with security. Being safe and secure in the arms of God keep us from wandering down the path of doubt and insecurity. Reread the above passages and see if that's not exactly what Jesus desire to do. Write down the doubts in your heart and then turn it over to Him. See if He won't replace your doubt with security immediately.

PRAYER: Lord, your Spirit moved one to long ago write exactly where I find myself at times, "weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care" and I realize it is too much for one person to carry, especially when I realize I don't have to carry it at all. So, again with the word of the hymn writer I say, "Precious Savior, still our refuge," as I take it to the Lord in prayer, remove my burden of doubt and help me believe and be secure in my beliefs. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

BEING HONEST AND COMPASSIONATE

Lord of life, shine Your light upon this dear reader on this day. Bless and strengthen his/her path. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Jesus said, "and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (John 8:32).

The last of the HEART principles for leadership is "Tell me the truth with compassion." In our dealings with folks, we should seek to be truthful and compassionate. Our prayers should be that God would give us the right words at the right time. How often you and I have been told bluntly things that we know are true, but done so in such a way we found no compassion. The principle for today says that in our dealings we should deal honestly with one another and not hide that which is true and relevant. And all should be done with that component of love that is so important, compassion. To have compassion means we share with the other person a passion for life and seek to share in all things especially that which means that we sometimes suffer together. To have compassion means we have thought about how the truth will affect the other person and we seek to share that with them in a way that blesses the both of us.

The other day someone posed a difficult question: "Have you ever worked with someone with B.O.?" For those who do not know what those initials stand for, they represent "body odor." The answer is, sadly, yes. "How did you deal with it?" Distance, I replied. They laughed. I knew it was not the answer they were looking for, but to be honest I still do not have an answer. I have to admit I am not one to tell someone that truth, compassion or not. In our family relationships we rarely hesitate to share honesty, but again, are we praying about how to face that day with truth and compassion? In our work relationships the same question applies. I never thought that my being honest with my coworker about using deodorant or some sort of body spray would be the compassionate thing to share. The thing we did say to one another in that conversation was, "Well, if ever I do come to work smelly, please tell me!"

In matters of life and church business, being truthful is the standard. And to be truthful and compassionate requires our trusting God's Holy Spirit to be present and to be guiding us to share that which builds up the Body of Christ.

PRAYER: Loving God of all answers, speak to my heart today with truth about me. And if I find myself in a situation where I have to speak the truth with someone, first let me feel and know how the truth will affect that person and give me the words I need so that in all dealings we may be honest and compassionate. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde