WHERE DO I STAND WITH GOD?

God of grace and glory, may our lives today be glory unto You. Bless this dear reader in all they may face. In Christ Jesus' name, amen.

If ever you wonder where you stand with God, remember you are invited into a loving relationship with God. God loves you so much He wants you! Jesus told it this way: (Luke 14)

(Someone said to Jesus) ""Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" 16 Then Jesus said to him, "Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. 17 At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, "Come; for everything is ready now.' 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, "I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.' 19 Another said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.' 20 Another said, "I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.' 21 So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, "Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' 22 And the slave said, "Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.' 23 Then the master said to the slave, "Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.' "

God's invitation involves dinner. It involves the eating and drinking of those things that truly and eternally satisfy. The Gospels tell the story of great banquets and the coming Feast where Jesus will be seated with us and all of us will dine in splendor and love. The invitation is right now. You and I are invited right now to become a part of this great feast. You and I have probably invited others. And sadly, they've either said, "Yes, I'll be there," and we've yet to see them. Others have said, "I'm not ready for that right now," and we've yet to see them. Others have come once and never again. The story Jesus told is our story. You and I have had great excuses for not wanting a part of God. In Jesus' story, one says he's now a landowner, bought a property sight unseen and must go and check it out. Another now owns livestock or new livestock, and must go and test their strength and ability to work. One said they had just married, no other explanation given or needed. The one doing the inviting returns to the master and the master is angered. Now the invitation is to all; "the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame." These came. They had never been invited before. Now the servant returns to tell the master, "There's still room!" Go and invite, "compel" if necessary all to come, so that my house may be filled!"

Where you choose to put yourself in this story is up to you. What you choose to do with your invitation is also up to you. Let me give you a clue. You never know how delicious a dinner or feast is going to be unless you show up. We can stand at the window all day staring into a dinner or feast and not know how delicious the meal truly is. Someone coming out cannot describe it well enough to match the experience of food touching your lips and mouth. So it is with God. Experience God and as the Psalmist said, "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psa. 34:8).

PRAYER: God when I doubt about my standing with You, remind me that I am one of the ones invited. More than that, dear God, let me be one of those who responds and shows up early to enjoy not only the meal but the fellowship. Let me also be one who invites others with joy and understanding and with the conviction that they will respond and they will be blessed as I have been. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

WRESTLING WITH GOD

Loving God bless this dear reader with all she or he may need today. In Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

In yesterday's NY Times there was an interesting article about The Four Seasons Hotel. It seems this is a management company that owns no property of its own. To stay in a Four Seasons hotel is to stay in the property owned by someone, but it is managed and run by the FS. The FS company is owned by three major holders, the founder, a Saudi prince, and an American prince, Bill Gates. The FS is known for having the best customer satisfaction rating in the world; it employs more staff per customer than any other hotel (thus the article-the economy is not allowing the property owners to enjoy much of a profit, if any), the thread count on its linen is higher than most hotels, and their beds are their claim to fame. On one Ophra episode, according to the article, Julia Roberts was asked where she had had the best night's sleep and without having to think about it she said, Four Seasons hotel.

Yesterday's Bible passage was from Genesis 32 where Jacob spends a night wrestling with God. I made the claim that it doesn't matter the bed, Four Seasons, Three Seasons, One Season or No Season, if we lay down troubled, we are not going to get a good night's sleep. Jacob found that out. Once he had sent his family to safey away from where he was, his intention was to prepare for an encounter with the brother he had tricked on more than one occasion. He found himself wrestling with God. The same is true for us; if we are not right in our lives with someone, with ourselves, or with God, we are not going to rest or get much sleep. The way we lay down is usually the way we'll wake up. It took that night of wrestling for Jacob to realize several things had to change in his life, and the main was to know he had to confess his sins before God. So do we. He also knew that only God could change his heart. Same for us. And Jacob knew he had to make right his relationships. Ditto. Jacob was then able to enter into the Promised Land. We too, after confessing our sins, asking God to change our hearts, asking God to help us make right our relationships, can enter into the "promised land" of forgiveness and cleansing.

God desires all of us to be in relationship with Him. The key is to begin with forgiveness and then to ask for us to be cleansed of all the filth, ugliness, and sin that has grown on us. The good news is that God will.

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord for giving me the chance to be forgiven. I confess that I am not where You would have me be. I am sinful, imperfect, and far from where I know I should be. Forgive me my sins, cleanse me of my sins with the Blood of the Lamb, and let me enter into the promised land of forgiveness and cleansing. Help this be but the first of a lifelong journey with You. In Jesus Christ's precious name I ask, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

...BUT A MIST

God of comfort and peace, rain down comfort, peace, strength and joy to this dear reader; in Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

"What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that." (James 4:14-15).

Our nation is reeling from three significant deaths. The first was that of Ed McMahon, a familiar face and voice that for many years was part of a team that put the nation to sleep. I am old enough to have seen Jack Paar host The Tonight Show and I remember when Johnny Carson took over. A lot of Johnny's success was that he had as his partner and trusted sidekick, Mr. Ed McMahon. The second death was one of a Texas girl, who became the world's girl through her fame and beauty. I have to confess that of the "Angels," she was not my favorite. Farrah Fawcett died of cancer. I remember one interview her saying she did not want to die. The third overshadowed the first two, that sudden and unexpected death of Michael Jackson. The latter two prompted one of my daughters to call yesterday, the first closer to lunchtime to say that Farrah had died. Later she called to say Michael had died. Of the two calls I didn't believe the second. She quoted her source and said that CNN had not yet announced his death. We conversed about this source's claim that Fidel Castro was dead some months ago. Nellie and I returned home and watched different networks to see which one would announce that Michael Jackson, the perpetual boy, had indeed died. It was the LA Times that said it first, CBS News followed, finally CNN went from saying he was in a coma to "sources have confirmed that Michael Jackson is dead."

We pray for the families and loved ones of those three, along with others who have lost loved ones whose deaths do not merit banners or headlines in any major or even minor news outlets. Their loss and pain is just as great and significant. May God comfort them. Of the three we heard of personal struggles and losses, of moral and financial challenges, and we pray we can learn from those, asking that God help us not judge but pray.

James said it best, we leave our lives to God to bless us each day according to His plan and purpose. We remember that God created us, and if we let Him, we are His.

PRAYER: Loving God, I affirm that I am Yours. I surrender myself and my will to You. I ask Your presence, peace and comfort in the lives of all who have lost loved ones during these days. May Your mercy and peace be with them. Help me to live a life that affirms that You are with me, and that You are guiding me. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

ARE WE THERE YET?

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on this dear reader. In Christ Jesus' Name, amen.

The Bible is filled with folks whose patience came only because of their faith in God. They knew that if they were called to something by God, God would provide and God would prevail. There's an awful long time in some cases between day one and the day of that day when one can say, "God prevailed!" This morning I was thinking about Noah and his trust in God in doing all that God asked. His was a tall order; build a boat, then fill it with pairs of animals. It takes a lot of patience to care for a pet, can you imagine pairing up all kinds of animals? Most families who have children go through periods of having all kinds of animals in the house. Our girls prevailed in their request for a cat, one we adopted but who in those days did not come with a prepaid sterilization operation. That one cat quickly turned into many cats, most of which, thank God, were given away. We went through a guinea pig phase, a rabbit phase, dogs of all kinds, shapes and sizes, and yes, birds. I lost count of how many and how much these ventures cost.

I think those seven days between God closing the door of the ark until that first rain must have been the hardest. Noah and Mrs. Noah and Team Noah waited and waited. Seven days is a long time. All it would have taken to make it a difficult seven days would have been one of the family members to begin to squirm and ask, "Are we there yet?" Worse would have been, "Are you sure GOD asked you to do this or is this just one of your schemes because you want a boat?" And then, yes, "Who's going to bathe and feed all these animals? If you think it's going to be, you're crazy!"

Faith and trust in God brings us the beginning of patience. Prayer, reflection, meditation, and a daily walk with God blesses us with having the Holy Spirit-led patience as we face what we face.

PRAYER: Loving God for the experience of living, I am thankful. For the blessing and joy of living with others I am also glad. Grant to me deeper faith for deeper trust in You so that as I face decisions and the test of patience I can say, "God, you are with me and together You and I will make the right decision." I ask this in Jesus Christ's precious Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde
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PATIENCE AS A KEY INGREDIENT IN ALL RELATIONSHIPS

God of love, share with this dear reader a generous portion of love for this day and all that they may face. In Christ Jesus' Name, amen.

We can make the case for more successful marriages and relationships, if both parties were commited to being more patient. That may be easier said than done given the stresses of daily life. But isn't that why Christ came? Did Jesus come to sit in the Temple only and preach lofty, unattainable sermons on the holy life without knowing what daily life was about? It cannot be said of Jesus that He did not know about daily life and the events that come to those who live. He was there with those who were ill, he cried at a funeral, and rejoiced at a wedding. He was there with those wondering about tomorrow and the role they would hold in it. In all things, Jesus rose above the normal, expected responses to life and showed us a better way to live. Paul said it as evidence of Christ living in believers when he wrote what we studied yesterday about the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Gal. 5.

Colossians 1:11 says, "being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully." The strength to be patient isn't even ours, it's God's. But it's ours for the asking. And with God's power (Holy Spirit) comes that which gives us "great endurance," that which allows us to stay in the stress of daily life and its demands, and "patience." Which is having the right spirit for making the right decisions as led by God's Holy Spirit. Making the right decision in all things gives us patience, for we will know that God's hand has been in that which we faced and God's love has allowed us to make the decision that blesses God and us. And which marriage or relationship does not need a blessing of patience?

PRAYER: Loving God pour out Your Holy Spirit on me. I confess that I need Your presence in my life so that I can be the person You would have me be. May I seek You in all decisions and may I have that Spirit-led patience that will bless my marriage and all my relationships. I ask this in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

THE GIFT OF PATIENCE - WE WANT IT NOW!

Loving God of mercy, shower this dear reader with exactly what they need today. In Jesus' Name, amen.

The sermon title yesterday was Wrestling with Patience, based on the passage in Genesis about Jacob working seven years for his desire to marry Rachel. I was ready, but wanted to call my Dad and wish him a Happy Father's Day. I used the landline phone. Probably among the last in Harlingen, as most folks are going completely cellular. I was calling my Dad's landline. The same one he's had since 1968 when he and Mom bought the house. Same number. The phone rang, Dad answered, "Hello?" Happy Father's Day, Dad, said I; "Hello?" Slam. Dial tone. I tried it again. Same result. I blamed my phone. I switched to my cell phone. "Hello?" Happy Father's Day, Dad. "Hello?" Slam. This happened two more times on my cell, the sermon topic weighing heavily on my response to not being able to be heard by my Dad. I prayed. I tried one last time and i dreaded the thought of having to go to church without having talked to my father on Father's Day. This time my dad heard me and I said, "I've tried calling you about four or five times." "Yes," Dad replied, "The phone company is coming over tomorrow; I'm having trouble with my phone." Okay, Lord, I understand the topic. I'm ready.

As I told the congregation, patience is linked to our ability to make decisions. An impatient person is one who makes a decision quickly, usually based on selfish needs and wants, and the need to be gratified immediately on that decision. My daughter told me after church about an experiment she had seen on television about how doctors can tell which babies will be college material. A child is placed inside a room and a marshmallow is placed on the table right in front of him/her. The child is told that if they don't eat the marshmallow, four more marshmallows will be given to them. The parent leaves the room and the video camera tells the story. She said most children eat the marshmallow as they're not able to reason out the concept of four marshmallows coming later versus one available immediately. The experiment is sometimes done with three other children in the room. I told her, "If there had been three other kids in there and only one marshmallow, I'd beat the other three up and enjoy the marshmallow!" That's a joke.

Paul found that those believers filled and guided by The Holy Spirit are those who have evidence or "fruits" that show a person different from the world: "By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another." (Galatians 5).

Are you the most patient person you know? Are you the most patient person you could be? The answer is in your spiritual life. One guided and blessed by God is one who will bless others with decision made that show the presence of the Holy Spirit. As examples I told the story of Fred Rogers, yes, Mister Rogers of TV fame. He showed great patience on a hidden camera show where victims were told their big screen tvs in their hotel room were broken. When the others screamed with anger a small portable black and white tv was brought to them. Mr. Rogers only smiled and said that no tv would be fine and the small one would be okay if no one else needed it.

What would you have said?

PRAYER: Loving God, forgive me those times that my decision making is based solely on me and my selfish desires. Grant me the presence of Your Holy Spirit that I may reason out with Your wisdom that which would bless me with the right decision and that I may be one who gives evidence of having the precious gift of patience. I ask this in Jesus Christ's precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

HAPPY ANNIVERARY TO RAUL AND BILHA ALEGRIA! Raul and Bilha will be spending the week in North Carolina with their grandson, doing grandparently things! May God grant them many more!

LET LOVE BE GENUINE

God of neverending love, be gracious to this dear reader in all that they may face today. In Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

"Let love be genuine." Words from St. Paul from his letter to Romans. Do you think he encountered, in his many travels, folks who were not people of "genuine" love? If you guessed yes, you're right. In fact, most of the New Testament, if you think about it, are the writings of Paul responding to needs inside the Christian church. Most letters from him to churches address a situation or crisis that the Christian believers were either causing or experiencing. What would cause the 12th chapter of Romans to address the need for genuine love and the rest that follows? From verse 9 on: "...hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18 If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." 20 No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Such special and basic instructions reflective of what Christ Himself taught. Remember the Lord's last commandment, "Love one another."

PRAYER: In Your house, dear God, we should be all about love. May it be so in my body, your "temple" today. May it be so in my house with all with whom I live. May it be so in my daily chores and obligations. Let people see Your love in me. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

OUT OF THE PIT

Dear God, in matters that pertain to fear that this dear reader may be facing, speak the words of comfort and peace as only You can. In Jesus' Name, amen.

The topic of wrestling with one's siblings is found again in The Bible, again in Genesis, chapter 37:2-11 (Text below). It's the story of Jacob/Israel's young son, Joseph. You see again that some parents in the Bible do not hide their favoritism from other children, for it said in verse 3 that "Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children," the reason being was that he was an old man when Joseph came along, and he was the son of a favorite wife. This favoritism was shown in the special, multicolored coat that Jacob had made for Joseph. To wear the coat was to wear a sign that said, "Dad loves me more!" Not exactly the breeding ground for love and understanding with the other siblings. To make matters worse, Joseph started to have dreams where he was the star and his brothers and parents had supporting roles. Quite honestly, these dreams made Joseph ruler over his brothers and even over his father and mother. Awkward!

You know the outcome of this part of the story. When the brothers had a chance, they talked about killing Joseph, but the older brother, Rueben took this matter out of mind and suggested they spare Joseph but that they sell him into slavery. Such kind, loving brothers, right? Little did they know all they set into motion that day was what would ultimately save their lives at a later time, and that God was with Joseph and even with them.

I know some of you have had some rough patches with siblings and some of you more recently than others. Driven by fear or anger or greed, things get said or done that should not happen among brothers or sisters. To try and explain these actions by others would be futile, we just can say, things like this should not happen but they do. Imagine Joseph's thoughts at the bottom of that pit. Imagine Joseph's thoughts when sold into slavery by his own brothers. Joseph knew only to turn to God and to trust God that God would see him through all he endured. We can do the same. We should pray at all times but when things don't make sense and it seems like the whole world is against us, we can turn to God. We may ask, why, and allow God to answer; and the answer may not be what we're looking for, but our petition should be one of "Lord, if I am at fault, please make that clear to me and direct me in making it right."

God can work incredible, unexplainable, wonderful things in situations we may deem hopeless.

PRAYER: Loving God, You better than me, understand some of what has been said to and about me. Some of it coming from someone who should be loving towards me. As was shared above dear Father, if I am at fault, please make that clear and direct me to correcting it as only You can. If it be my sister/brother's fault, please bless them and protect them and show them Your love and in so doing, may reconciliation and peace finally be ours. You are the God of the mysterious ways, and I affirm that this morning/afternoon/evening. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

------------------Prayer Update: Betty Rigsbee underwent successful knee surgery and wanted her church family to know she will not be going to Brownsville as originally thought. She will be moved to Golden Palms for rehab treatment there. For now she is in Harlingen Medical Center, Room 402. Your prayers would be most appreciated.

Here is that text from above: 2 Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he had made him a long robe with sleeves. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him. 5 Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, "Listen to this dream that I dreamed. 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it, and bowed down to my sheaf." 8 His brothers said to him, "Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?" So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words. 9 He had another dream, and told it to his brothers, saying, "Look, I have had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me." 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, "What kind of dream is this that you have had? Shall we indeed come, I and your mother and your brothers, and bow to the ground before you?" 11 So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

WRESTLING WITH SIBLINGS AND OTHER LOVED ONES

Merciful God, show your mercy on this dear reader in all s/he may face today. In Christ Jesus' Name, amen.

We continued our Wrestling with God sermon series talking about Wrestling with Siblings and Other Loved Ones. It was a sermon well-received because all who have or have had siblings identified with the challenges. We looked at two passages that dealt with siblings. We chose the one of Esau and Jacob because their conflict started inside the womb. It drove their mom, Rebekah, to exclaim to the Lord, "If this is the way it's going to be, why am I still alive?" I shared how many women have said that at different points of their pregnancies, some at the beginning, some at the end, some still harp to this day! But she went and prayed to the Lord about this pregnancy and God gave her the honest answer about two nations at war inside of her, two peoples who would be divided. It's an interesting story found in Genesis 25:19-27. For better background re-read the chapters prior and after to the passage. If ever there was a dysfunctional family, this was it. The two were as different as night and day, and mom and dad didn't help matters in that mom had her favorite as did dad.

The other passage was from Genesis 4, the story of Cain and Abel. This is a tragic story of two brothers, not twins as the boys above, but close enough to grow up together until that point where anger "at church" drove Cain to rise up and kill his brother. The first murder in the Bible happens at the hand of a brother; fratricide: brother killing brother.

How do we cope with our siblings? Remember first, no one is perfect, not even you! (I'm the first to claim that by the way). But we can take the lead in showing 5 A's for the sake of our siblings: Affirmation, Affection, Adoration, Attention, and Association. If we affirm Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, we should live our lives in that way, and the best way to start in our relationships, especially with siblings, is to affirm that their life is a gift from God, loaned to us for only a while. Affirm the goodness that God has in that brother or sister of yours. Affirm the need to forgive that may be present. Affection is a bit more difficult, but we need to show it, yes even to our brothers and sisters. Show that you do love them and care for them. Demonstrate a touch or hug or whatever shows that your feelings of love are deep. Show your adoration to God for the person that is your sister or brother. Let your worship reflect your thankfulness to God and for the life of your siblings. Attention means to spend time together, even though miles may separate you. And lastly, spend as much time as you can with each other.

PRAYER: Loving God, there have been times when I did not get along with my brothers and sisters, but I repent of those times and ask that You help me show all that I need as a thankful obedient child of Yours. May this also be a part of the way I share this with others. I pray all of this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED, THERE'S TROUBLE!

Dear Prince of Peace, bring a generous helping of peace to this dear reader's life. In Christ Jesus, Prince of Peace's Name we pray, amen.

Did not Jesus mean, "Where two or three are gathered, there will be trouble?" Even sadder, shouldn't it be, "where two or three brothers and sisters (siblings) are gathered, there will be MAJOR trouble?"

No, the passage is Matthew 18:20 and it reads, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." I pose the question to prepare those of you who worship on any of our campuses for this weekend's sermon: Wrestling with Siblings & Other Loved Ones. The Bible's first human death comes at the hands of that person's brother. Fratricide is the correct term for such a heinous act. Those who didn't kill each other came close or sure did think about it.

What causes us at times to be at war with our siblings? What can we do to remedy these things? We will explore that this Sunday. I believe the clue is found in the passage from Matthew. When and where Jesus is invited and invoked, His presence and His peace comes in great ways.

PRAYER: Dear God, You better than me know that at times, I have failed to love as I should, especially those Whom You gave to be near to me. Forgive me and give me a heart for loving not only my brother or sister, but all people. Give me eyes to recognize everyone as my brother and sister. I ask this in Jesus' precious Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

---------------------Those in the Harlingen Area, please don't forget our worship schedule has not changed nor have we merged services: 8:30 & 10:45 in our Sanctuary; 10 & 11:30 at Gutierrez Middle School on Wilson Rd, Valley Praise; 10:45 in our Raimond Christian Center (gym), NuLife. We hope to see you at one or more of our services!

TOO BUSY TO ENJOY YOUR WORLD, SORRY, LORD

Gracious God, pour out a generous helping of patience on me and on this dear reader in all that we may face today. In Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Do you take time to notice what God has done in nature? I'm a sucker for being easily distracted by what may fly, jump, crawl and even slither by. What I loved about being a child was that when we were younger most of us were closer to the ground and so we were more aware of all that was near us. I'm seeing that again in our granddaughter as she becomes aware of nature and all that God shares with us. The days leading to Mother's Day, she was here and we took her and our daughters to the park across from our library and we walked. One of the trees is perfect for climbing and I said, "Mijita ("little daughter"-a term of endearment en español), let's climb the tree!" She looked at the tree and said, "I'm too little to climb trees!" She saw the water in the reservoir and said, "Let's jump into the water!" No, baby, let's not.

But it was on that walk that we saw ducks and geese and how they interact. They co-exist in a peaceful manner unless you begin to throw bread crumbs to them. Then it's duck versus duck, and even geese will try to drown ducks for bread. Monday as I walked I saw two ducks sitting on or near what I thought was an interesting plant of some kind. As I approached I saw the "plant" moving and discovered to my delight, the plant was about eight or so ducklings. I walked slowly towards them to see them and Mom and Dad and babies all jumped into the water and quickly swam away. I was blessed in seeing new life and how God made us all.

May we never be too busy to see how beautiful God has made our surroundings. May we never take anything for granted, and may we do our part in helping preserve nature in a reverent, peaceful way.

The Psalmist said it best, from his 24th Psalm: 1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. (KJV). In the New Revised Standard: "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it."

PRAYER: Father and Creator of all things, you know my heart and what I need; may I know Your heart and what You need fro me to do. In Christ Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

WHERE ARE YOU PLANTED?

God of steadfastness, hold steady the life of this dear reader today and all days. In Christ Jesus' Name, amen.

I have many favorite passages of faith and encouragement in The Bible, and among those are these found in Jeremiah 17: 5 Thus says the Lord: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. 6 They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

As we wrestle with obedience, reflect on where we should be "planted." Jeremiah, and the Psalmist in 1:3, both knew of the strength and nourishment that come to trees planted near water and applied that to our faith. If we are planted solidly in God, we shall be like those trees: Roots by the stream, no fear when "heat," and whatever forms those may take, green leaves when all else is brown with thirst and near-death, no anxiety, and continual bearing of fruit. Compare that to what Jeremiah says about those who trust themselves or other humans more: Their hearts turn away from God. They're like shrubs planted in the desert and they become tumbleweeds. While they may have some purpose, overall, compared to strong, fruit-bearing trees, of what good are they? Of what good are we if we plant ourselves away from God?

PRAYER: God of strength and nourishment, plant me in You! I want to be nourished and blessed by my close relationship to You so that I can bear fruit for You. May all that comes by being in You be mine today and all days. I renounce fear when everyone else is scared, I want to be anxiety-free, and I want to be "green" to all, so they may see I am in You. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

YOU CAN'T BEAT GOD!

God of infinite love, pour out Your love on this dear readere today; may all s/he faces be done with the sure knowledge that You are with them. In Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Special Prayer Request for dear friends, Tommy & Tricia in a need in their lives.

You can't beat God! That was one of my "share" moments, when I ask you to tell your neighbor, and in this case, tell your neighbor, "You can't beat God!" In many, and all ways, that is true. You can't beat God in love, generosity, grace, peace, compassion, mercy, etc. and etc. In the way I meant it, when it comes to wrestling with God, YOU CAN'T BEAT GOD!

We just started a special summer series called "Wrestling With God." Yesterday's inaugural sermon was on Wrestling with Obedience. It was based on "Mom and Dad," aka Adam and Eve and their incident in the Garden with the talking serpent. The serpent twisted everything around, claimed to know what it was talking about, and caused both of them to disobey God and sin. That first sin, disobedience, stayed with us to this day. We laughed at the part where the famous "hand-off" takes place. God asks Adam what he's done, he points to Eve, and says those wonderful lines, "That woman YOU gave me, it's her fault!" The woman turns to the serpent and in a take-off that comedian Flip Wilson would use in the 60s TV character, "The devil made me do it!"

James in his letter to Christian readers says, " No one, when tempted, should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one. 14 But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured and enticed by it; 15 then, when that desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to death." It's true. I shared a story I'd never shared before from my teenaged years; I didn't blame God but I took along my younger brother to make sure I didn't sin alone and that if caught, he could take some of the heat from me. I was very stupid to follow my "own desire," and not the path I knew God wanted me to take. I did not love, trust, and obey God as I should.

Those three things were stressed as the remedy to disobedience. Number one, know that God loves you enough to provide everything for you. With that assurance you move to number two, trust God. If someone loves you enough to provide for you, you can trust that person. If God loves us with a love not found on this world other than in Him, how you can you NOT trust God? Number three, obey! "For there's no other way," the hymn says so perfectly, "to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

PRAYER: God of love, thank You for loving me and being there for me. I confess that I have often given in to my desires rather than seeing what it is that would best glorify You. I ask forgiveness and I ask that I might be more the person of obedience today than ever before. Help me to be grounded in You. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

WRESTLING WITH GOD

God of all days, abandon not this dear reader in their needs today; guide, bless and protect in Your way. In Christ Jesus' Name, amen.

Mr. Paul Boesch, Chief Wahoo McDaniel, Professor Malenko, Gino Hernandez, Gary Hart (not the Senator, but the same "nickname," Tony Atlas, the Von Ericks, on and on go the names. Having moved to Houston, Texas, at the age of 13, Wrestlemania was going full force and having a tv that caught Channel 39, I was hooked, as was my Dad and younger brothers to watching Mr. Paul Boesch (tv spelling I believe was Bosch) as the announcer of all the wrestling matches in Houston. Our Uncle Manuel Ortegon, in those days, lived across from the arena where wrestling was held and on more than one night, we'd park at Uncle Manuel's house and dart across the busy streets to get to the arena and saw in person, and in color, those terrific fights. I was of the age and opinion where no one could convince me the matches were fake or rigged. It was a simple case of good versus evil. I knew the good guys and I disliked the bad ones. Chief Wahoo was always a good guy.

I say this as we prepare for a new sermon series starting this Sunday called Wrestling with God: Summer Slam '09. It will be a quick study of the Book of Genesis. Our first sermon is Wrestling with Obedience. I won't go into much detail as I know some who will say, "I already 'heard' Sunday's sermon, why go in person?" Let me explain. Television was still black and white and most screens were still oval. On top of your television set, if not your roof, sat the antennae. I remember the big deal made about getting the little loop antennae to be able to "catch" 39. They gave them away free for a time and I believe that's how we got ours. So, on Friday nights, we could gather around the set and scream with delight as Chief Wahoo beat up on the evil Professor Malenko. There would be chairs hit on each wrestler, groans of agony would come out of their mouths, blood would spill, and in the end, finally, thankfully, Chief Wahoo would pin Malenko for the required three counts, and the match was over. One of the brothers would yell, "I told you!" We'd laugh, jump around, and celebrate that good had triumphed over evil. All was right with the world. Yet, on those nights when you could actually pay the admission, walk into the arena, everything changed. You were not in the privacy of your own home. You were present for the actual encounter between good and evil; and shock of shocks not everyone in the arena was a fan of good! (Sounds like a church already, doesn't it? LOL!). The announcer was come out, everyone would get quiet to hear the great, califlowered-eared Paul Bosch; he himself, was a Houston institution and so as he spoke, everyone listened. Except when he would say the name of those on the bill that night. He could not say the name of one of the good guys without most of the fans screaming in a loudness that was awesome. At my age now, I'd need earplugs. To our surpise, when he said the name of one of the villians, some actually cheered! I remember looking at my brothers, who looked at me and we shrugged, wondering, "What's wrong with these people?"

The undercard matches would begin and those were fun. Lesser known "names" battled against each other, and given the size of the arena, one could hear and experience, in living color as it were, the matches we had only seen in black and white. What a difference and what a night. I can't do justice to what experiencing a wrestling match was like in person. Going back and watching it at home was never the same. What did help was the memory that we had been there and one day we would return.

The wrestling we do is with God and what we know God would have us do and be. The screaming and yelling is not actually present except inside our conscience as we struggle with doing what our "flesh" wants versus what we know is "spritually" right. Even deciding to go to church for some, if not all, is a wrestling match. We think of many "good" reasons for staying home, while we know each reason can be matched with Truth.

Here's a clue: Wrestling with Life is made easier by going in person to God's House. What you receive there will prepare you for the daily battles that await us.

See you in worship!

PRAYER: God of Good, forgive me for the times that I've let what I believed to be "good" reasons keep me from worshiping You and being in Your house. Allow me to see the real needs in my life that can be best met while being in the fellowship and company of believers. Bless my church and all its members. Be with the sick and the hurting, and let me and all who would, be a part of the comfort, counsel, and cure that You offer through us. I pray this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Please be in prayer for those who are being commissioned and ordained today here in Corpus Christi, for service in the Soutwest Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church. Pray for those who yesterday went from active status into retired status. May God watch over them and us.

LISTENING TO WHO TO DO WHAT?

Lord of life and love, love on this person today like never before! In Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Yesterday's message was about a special healing that took place outside the Temple; Peter and John, in the Name of Jesus of Nazareth, asked God to heal this man who had not walked since birth. Instead of receiving a coin or two for a morsal of bread, this man received a gift of a lifetime, the ability to walk. Not much is known of how this man lived out his years. What we do know, sadly, is that Peter and John received flak about what they did. They were called in and questioned and Peter used it as an opportunity to witness and preach about Jesus. The council, angered that the Temple was being used in this way, ordered them to stop. Peter and John said, Hmm, interesting dilemma; do we listen to you or to God?

When the two returned home they used the events of the day to witness and preach again, and God's Holy Spirit was poured out upon them and they all received boldness to witness to their faith. We're starting our second day of the Southwest Texas Annual Conference here in Corpus Christi, Texas. The first day is filled with lay and clergy meetings and the day closes with a Memorial and Communion service. Bishop Raul Garcia de Ochoa blew us all away with his powerful sermon based on 1 Peter 2:9-10 and basically said that if a church is to be a church, the lay people should turn over the leadership to the pastor, and the pastor should turn over the ministry to the people. He jokingly said a church in Houston in a workshop taught them that; "That was the $4,000 secret! So, save $4,000 and write that down and learn it!" If we, as a church, pray for the Holy Spirit to come down and give us boldness like He did in Acts, we, too, will be an Acts church. Ours will be the joy to go out and comfort, counsel, and cure the ills of our neighbors.

PRAYER: Loving God, pour out Your Holy Spirit on me. Give me boldness to be Your witness, to do Your work. We ask You continue to bless the work of this annual conference; be with our Bishop Jim Dorff, the district superintendents, the pastors, their spouses and families, the lay members and their families; let us all be about You and reaching Yours. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde



---------------------1 Peter 2:9-10: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

WHEN WAS LAST TIME YOU WALKED, LEAPT & PRAISED GOD BEFORE CHURCH?

God of all good things, bless this dear reader with all s/he may need today. In Christ Jesus' Name, amen.

We thank God for the unexpected thunderstorm and much needed rain we received on Monday afternoon, but it downed our internet service for most of the morning yesterday thus no ConCafe. I also thank the Lord for my Dad's birthday yesterday as well.

Prayer Request: Please keep The Reverend Francisco "Pancho" Gaytan in your prayers. He is recovering from eye surgery and having to make some major adjustments in his life because of it; ask that God continue to heal him and to give him patience in these changes to his life. Thank you.

Forty years is a long time. Period. It becomes longer or at least appears so, if you get placed in prison, some jokers would say marriage, or a bad job situation. Forty years is a generation. Can you imagine being alive for that long without the use of what most others take for granted? Can you imagine not being able to walk since birth and live to be forty? Such was the case with the man we meet in Acts chapter 3. This man was taught early to get to, through the kindness of family and/or friends, to the gate of the Temple called Beautiful. You can imagine the reference early to that place may have meant the beauty of the entire Temple and thus this particular entrance. It may have also referred to the experience of being able to come through that gate into that holy of all places, the House of God. This particular gate was one of eigth gates. It led into the Court of Women, where the widow entered and dropped her mite as an offering to God. This may have been the "monied" entrance, thus this man's expectation to receive something from those who had something to offer.

One can only imagine the difficulty of such a life. We learn that this man no longer looked at people, he was resigned to his state and there was nothing he could do about it. Haved lived all his life so close to the ground, having begged for all his life, there was nothing about his life that said "look up." But on this one particular day, someone, perhaps a sister, helped him dress, perhaps his brother or a neighbor or two, carried him from his home, if he even had one, to this place to await those who might give him something on which to live. At three o'clock, the hour of prayer, Peter and John come to his station and again, eyes lowered to the ground, not much hope in his voice, calls out begging for alms. Peter and John hear him and the Holy Spirit moves them to action. It is Peter, the prince of the disciples, who says, "I have no silver or gold, but what I do have I give to you; in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk!" Peter doesn't walk away and say, that should hold him; Peter gets him by his right arm, lifts him up. The Bible says that "immediately his feet and ankles were made strong." The man jumps up and begins walking toward the House of the One who made him whole. You have to love that Peter and John remembered that the man went "walking and leaping and praising God." His first steps were steps of gratitude and worship; when he could have gone anywhere and showed his family and friends that he could now walk, he walks to Church and gives thanks. And he doesn't come dragging into the building, he enters walking and leaping and praising God! His life was never the same again.

Every Sunday and every day you and I have the opportunity to call upon the name of Jesus of Nazareth to remove from our lives those things that cripple, maim, blind, and kill us. Jesus has the power and the willingness to remove our sin! And when that sin is removed you and I should walk and leap and praise God like never before. Our very steps should be witness to the power of Jesus at work in our lives.

PRAYER: Loving God of healing and wholeness, share with me and my loved ones, that which we need. Remove from our lives the things that have kept us from walking and leaping and praising You. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

This passage from Acts 3: 1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o'clock in the afternoon. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. 4 Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk." 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 All the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's Portico, utterly astonished.

THE B-I-B-L-E, THAT'S THE BOOK FOR ME!

God of mercy, let this dear reader today know and experience mercy as they show and receive it in all their needs. In Christ Jesus' precious name, amen.

Yoked with God was our sermon series and it ended yesterday. As we talked about the early church and how it grew beyond the first twelve ("More Than A Dozen" was the sermon title), that Pentecost Day saw the church grow in incredible number because "the Lord added to their number." Why did the Lord do that? It was because of the devotion of those early Christians to several things. Acts 2:42a, " They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching." Unlike us, these early believers did not have New Testaments to read. They had something even better, the witness of the disciples. I have often wondered what it was like to sit there and listen and learn from those who had seen and been with Jesus. One hour with Peter, James, and John would have probably shared with us experiences not written in the pages of the Bible as we know it. But we do have The Bible as our teacher. Our Bible has both the Bible of the disciples as well as those pages inspired by the teaching of Jesus. It is our daily guide to what God has shown through the prophets and through His only Son, Jesus Christ.

I was called to a residence this past Saturday morning. The mother of the home owner had just died. She had been taken in so that both the family and hospice care could watch over her last days. The grandson had a turn on watch and it was during that hour that he asked his grandma if there was anything she needed. She whispered, "B-i-b-l-e." It was still by her side on Saturday, called by her daughter, "her treasure book." In it were various notes and poems and other items that she had collected for many years. It truly had served as her teacher for many, many years, and as her body ceased to function, the joy and peace of a better home saw her through what many of us fear, her death. The son-in-law said, "We thought it would be more difficult" referring to her death, but because of her faith and her walk with the Lord, "it was not."

Will we ask for our Bible at such a time? Will our family know that it is our "treasure book?" Will the pages be wrinkled and torn from use, will there be precious notes about special verses and about special days in our lives? Will it be something that our children will remember us reading and using as God's word?

The Bible is a precious resource for our daily living. It has unexplainable power in it if we will only open it, read it, pray it, and live it. As the children's song that my children taught me says, "The B-I-B-L-E, now that's the book for me! I stand upon the word of God, The B-I-B-L-E!"

PRAYER: Loving God, let the reading of Thy word be that which nourishes and strengthens me today and all days. May I find in it exactly what I need to be Your witness and servant. May I be one who gives to others the hope that I have found within the pages of Scripture. I ask this in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde