Live a Full Life!

Image from udemy.com

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth.  I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit - not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength -  that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love,  you'll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights!  Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.  God can do anything, you know - far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes! (Ephesians 3:14-21 The Message)

May the blessings of the Lord hunt you down, embrace you, and bless you dear Friend!  That's my prayer for you this morning as I write this.  I pray the devotional would be the start of something wonderful in your spiritual life.

A person who prays is a blessing to the Lord and to those for whom he or she is praying.  I'll never forget I went to visit one of my churches on a Sunday morning, and the pastor of this rather significant church was kneeling in prayer in full sight of his congregation as they gathered.  That in and of itself blessed me, as I'm sure it blessed those who saw it.  I know he was praying for all of us.  And in this passage we read that Paul was a man of prayer and in these words shares his prayer for the believers in Ephesus.  His prayer was to ask God to strengthen all believers.  This version has awesome words, "not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength - that Christ will live in you as your open the door and invite Him in."  I shared with my Wednesday noon class that I listen, on occasion to Wretched Radio, a podcast and vlog that shares the concerns of the host.  In one of them he shared a pastor condemning the thought that we must invite Jesus into our hearts.  He said he could find no biblical basis for that; I thought, hmm, what Bible is he reading.  It's not explicitly said in any particular verse, but starting with Revelation 3:20, the desire of the Lord is to enter into our lives and hearts and bless us.  And this version supports that.

The prayer continues.  Paul desires all believers to begin to understand how awesome Christ' love is.  After forty years of marriage I find myself marveling at the newness of love that I find in Nellie; little things and major things she does, bless me more now than ever before.  And, our love is nowhere near the love that Jesus has for you and me!  Many could criticize and say, "Ah, that's baloney!  I haven't experienced any of that!" And that reminds me of an old story of a professor who shared that sort of belief concerning religion.  The janitor sitting in the audience had brought his lunch to enjoy and asked the professor what he held in his hand.  The prof said,"An apple."  The janitor then asked, "Is it sweet?"  and proceeded to take a big bite.  The professor said, "I don't know."  The janitor said, "Well, you have to experience it, don't you?"  Point made.  The Christian life is best lived when we experience all that it has to offer us.  One can read book after book about prayer, but until we make time to pray, we won't know what it is about.  One can also listen to sermon after sermon, but until one really hears and ponders what is being shared, we have nothing.  The same with Bible study, and fasting.  Until we get our feet wet and our hands dirty, we are missing a lot!

A full life comes to those who seek it, find it, receive it, and enjoy it.  And those who have full lives love nothing more than to share it with others.

PRAYER:  Loving God, speak to my heart again and again, and let me hear what You have to say.  Let me experience You behind all that I do; my prayer life, my Bible study, my times of fasting and reflection; give me a full life.  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Live a life that becomes the cookie that draws people to fullness.

Eradio Valverde

Hunger No More; Thirst No More!

Image from agnusday.org

So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” ’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:24-35)

Happy Monday, dear Friend!  I trust this finds you and yours doing well.  I pray that you are blessed to overflowing this day in order to bless others.  Try to find an occasion to share something your preacher said on Sunday; start a conversation that might bless someone eternally!

Most of us reading this have never been truly hungry.  Remember I said most.  Some of you may have suffered some terrible periods of hunger, and I pray those are a distant memory.  And please remember we are not that far from people, especially some children who do go to bread wondering where tomorrow's meals are coming from.  This passage addresses the two hungers humans have; that of satisfying their physical appetites, and that of feeding the spiritual appetites that we have.  In both cases, there is nourishment that is good as well as bad.  I've shared how I disliked a commercial back in the 80s.  I was a campus minister on one of the poorest student bodies in the country.  We had just started a 99¢ luncheon program and our signs said that if you didn't have the 99¢ that was not a problem.  I knew a lot of students eating that simple meal that area churches provided was perhaps the biggest, if not the only meal of their day.  I prayed that while exposed to churches who cared enough as well as a campus ministry program that cared, they might seek to fill their spiritual hunger as well.  I thank God for those wise enough to do so.

Last week I shared the story of the Little Caesar's pizza truck handing out free pizzas.  People understood it to be an introduction to a permanent restaurant coming to our area.  But imagine people coming back the next day and asking, "Where's that pizza truck?  Is there any free pizza today?"  The people in this passage were from the 5,000 whom Jesus fed.  They had been well fed, and so they looked for Jesus asking for more.  Some may have discussed this as being closely tied to their history.  "Remember when our people were in the widerness and Moses fed them?  Isn't this just like that, too?  Let's find that rabbi so that he may give us more!"  Jesus knew they still didn't understand in their hearts that it was not Moses, but God; and God was now offering an even better bread; the Bread of Life.  Jesus through His sacrifice took away our sins, and through His teachings taught us about love and how we are to love one another and be the people that God wants us to be.  Jesus concludes that teaching by saying, "Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

Dear one, if you have come to know Jesus in your life, you know that your hunger and thirst for righteousness and spiritual peace has come to your life.  Your actions, thoughts, and words should reflect that in a way that blesses others. If you have not yet dedicated your life to the Lord Jesus, it's as simple as the prayer, "Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and need forgiveness from You for my sins.  I also invite you to come into my heart and be the Lord and Savior of my life.  In Your name I pray, amen."  This is but the start of a lifelong journey of learning just how much God loves you through Jesus.  

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank You for the Bread of Life that has come into me.  Help me know that I will never hunger or thirst again; help me to be one who feeds others that knowledge of Your great love, in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Start your work week with a smile that says, "I have been fed by the Bread of Life!"

Eradio Valverde

Those Who Said Yes to Jesus: Bill Hinson

He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. (Luke 10:2)

Happy Friday, dear Friend!  I pray this finds you well and that plans for the weekend involve time with God in His house!  The blessings one receives while giving God worship and praise are eternal!

We just finished looking at the Twelve Disciples of Jesus in this series, and I thought modern day followers who said yes to Jesus would be a blessing to our lives.  I begin with a personal friend of mine, with whom I was privileged to serve on a major seminary board.  One of the last conversations I had with Dr. Hinson, and I'm paraphrasing, he said, "Those who preach Jesus will always have a job."  We had been discussing the future of our denomination and some personal concerns I had about my own ministry, and that was his response.  Many things he said to me blessed my life with joy and hope, and I grieve that he was called him way too soon.

The Reverend Dr. Bill Hinson was pastor of First United Methodist Church in Houston for eighteen years, having followed the powerful Rev. Charles Allen, who pastored FUMC-Houston for twenty-three years.  Bill was the one to take that awesome church to another level.  It is said eight thousand people joined First Church during his tenure there, and 3,000 of those by profession of faith.  The downtown church was taken by Dr. Hinson's vision to being a church involved with the community around it.  He once spent the night on the streets of downtown Houston to make the church and others aware of the plight of the homeless.  Dr. Hinson also organized a citywide "white elephant" sale to raise money for the poor of that city.  During the height of the Cold War, North Korea had a terrible famine and it was he who had the idea of filling a freighter with wheat that he shared with the orphanages of that country.  He himself went with the freighter to ensure that it reached those in need.

One of Bill's greatest joys was when someone stepped forward to give their hearts to Jesus, and it was for this reason that he accepted the call into ministry.  He heard God call him to "go and tell my people to go with peace in their hearts," and this became his focus of ministry.  On his tombstone, he wanted only the words, "He Went," symbolizing his attempt to go as God had asked.  At the age of 68, God received Bill into Heaven, after a very successful ministry.

His first Sunday at First Houston, he shared a story about Dr. Charles Allen, whom he was following into the pulpit; "Some years ago, Bishop Arthur J. Moore was riding in a private plane which was forced to go land in a Kansas wheat field.  Thankfully, all the passengers were all right.  Bishop Moore, lively and active as he was, was the first to reach a nearby farmhouse.  Boldly he knocked on the front door of that house.  The housewife answered the door and said, "Why Bishop Moore, do come in and have a cup of tea."  Bishop Moore told that story over and over because it was quite something that he was recognized in the middle of Kansas by that housewife.  And he said, "The one who introduced me could practically knock on any door in America and in many places around the world, and the folk inside would recognize him instantly and invite him into their homes because they're already in their hearts.  He also added that during those first days in Houston, he rode  in an elevator with a stranger who kept eyeing him and finally asked, "Are you the one who's going to First Church, Houston?"  Dr. Hinson replied, "I am."  Then an awkward silence.  The man kept looking at Bill up and down.  Bill said he wished he could be taller, desiring to grow at least a foot taller; so to pray the silence, Bill said, "Pray for me."  The man said, as he shook his head, "I am.  You're going to need it."

God opens the door to those who open the doors to their hearts to Him.  And great will be the roads one will travel if one but follows God.  It may not be First Church Houston, but the adventure and the joys of finding new friends and making disciples of Jesus will be the fulfillment of that faithful and fruitful ministry all have for having said Yes to Jesus. 

Dear one, I trust today will be a day of many Yes's to Jesus.  Many are those who await a blessing that might come from a smile, a king word, an encouraging word, or simple act of kindness from you.

PRAYER:  Loving God, bless these dear reader with the joys of obedience to You.  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  See above again for your homework!  :)

Eradio Valverde

I recommend the reading of the book, Lord, He Went: Remembering William H. Hinson, by Stanley R. Copeland.

Gulp! Does God Mean Me?

Image from thepreachersword.com

Fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no God.’They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good,no, not one. Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the Lord? There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous. You would confound the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.(Psalm 14 NRSV)

Bilious and bloated, they gas, "God is gone." Their words are poison gas, fouling the air; they poison Rivers and skies; thistles are their cash crop.  God sticks his head out of heaven. He looks around. He's looking for someone not stupid - one man, even, God-expectant, just one God-ready woman.  He comes up empty. A string of zeros. Useless, unshepherded Sheep, taking turns pretending to be Shepherd. The ninety and nine follow their fellow.  Don't they know anything, all these impostors? Don't they know they can't get away with this - Treating people like a fast-food meal over which they're too busy to pray?  Night is coming for them, and nightmares, for God takes the side of victims.  Do you think you can mess with the dreams of the poor? You can't, for God makes their dreams come true.  Is there anyone around to save Israel? Yes. God is around; God turns life around. Turned-around Jacob skips rope, turned-around Israel sings laughter. (Psalm 14 The Message)

Good day, dear Friend!  I pray this finds you well.  I've shared today's passage in two versions because it was too hard to decide which would mean more to you.  So, please read both.  I find more power in the first version, but the modern words of the second emphasize what the psalmist had in his heart as he shared what God shared with him.

If you follow me on Twitter.com (@evalve), you may have read a tweet that I just sent out.  It is from a quote from Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist, former shoe salesman, who preached around the world and established the Moody Bible Institute.  As he preached, Satan would send hecklers to his campaigns to interrupt his messages or distract him as he preached.  One night, an usher handed him a note as he was making his way to the pulpit to preach.  Thinking it was an important announcement, he quieted the large audience and prepared to read it. As he opened the folded paper he found scrawled in large print only one word: “FOOL!” Known for his quick wit, Moody looked up and said: “I’ve just been handed a memo which contains the single word – ‘FOOL’. This is most unusual. I’ve often heard of those who have written letters and forgotten to sign their names, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard of anyone who signed his name and then forgot to write the letter!” He then changed his sermon text to Psalm 14:1 which our cartoon above quotes, "The fool say in his heart, there is no God."

I find it very interesting that David wrote this psalm quite possibly after what we read yesterday.  He failed.  Miserably.  Guilty of sin, he shares what God has shared with him.  His actions had betrayed God and so the first verse applies to him, as do the words of the verses that follow; "they are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good."  Then he pictures God looking down from heaven on us to see if there is anyone among us who is wise enough to seek God.  Nope.  Not one.  All have gone astray, and all seem to be perverse.  They've dedicated themselves to doing the wrong thing.  I have to confess the more I read this psalm I did think, Does God mean me?  Sadly, yes, He does.  And perhaps you, too.  We can hide behind the ever-ready, "No one's perfect!"  But, are we at least trying to be?  The more we hang around with the lost, the more lost we will become.  "Useless, unshepherded Sheep, taking turns pretending to be Shepherd.  The ninety and nine follow their fellow."  (The Message version).

There is Good News.  We don't have to stay lost; we don't have to stay in darkness!  We have Jesus to lead us out and up!  We can turn over to Him our sins and doubts, frustrations and worries, and out we go!  The beautiful thing about salvation is not just that we are saved from our sins; we are led into the fullness of life (John 10:10).  Goodbye mud; hello shower!

PRAYER:  Awesome Heavenly Father, this was for me.  I ask for the cleansing flood of Your grace upon my heart, mind, and spirit.  Take my hand and guide me to You and Your way.  And let me take the hand of those around me so they too can see Your love and light.  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  We don't have to be shepherds, but we sure do need to point to the Good Shepherd!  Live like we know who He is!

Eradio Valverde

PRAYER REQUESTS:  Dear ones, please pray extra hard for Mr. Doug Smith of Wimberley.  His prostate cancer has spread to the liver and we need God to remove it - so pray and make that your petition today.  Also, Please pray for little Embree Ray Alexander and her parents.  She is now on hospice care. She is the baby daughter of Coach Kyle Alexander of Gonzales High School.  Pray for God's healing touch on Embree and God's comfort to be with Coach and Mrs. Alexander.  Thank you.  Pray for one another.  Pray for yourselves. 

#MeToo: Bathsheba & Uriah. David's Sin

Image from stuartluce.com

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with him; they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.It happened, late one afternoon, when David rose from his couch and was walking about on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. David sent someone to inquire about the woman. It was reported, ‘This is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.’ So David sent messengers to fetch her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself after her period.) Then she returned to her house. The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, ‘I am pregnant.’ So David sent word to Joab, ‘Send me Uriah the Hittite.’ And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the people fared, and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, ‘Go down to your house, and wash your feet.’ Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. When they told David, ‘Uriah did not go down to his house’, David said to Uriah, ‘You have just come from a journey. Why did you not go down to your house?’ Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah remain in booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing.’ Then David said to Uriah, ‘Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.’ So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day. On the next day, David invited him to eat and drink in his presence and made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, ‘Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die.’  (2 Samuel 11:1-15)

Good day dear Reader.  May this day be filled with God's blessings for you is my prayer.

The Bible is a real book.  It tells the stories of God's people and hides not their blemishes, scars, or sins.  It shares how the only perfect person was Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  And as much as we have rooted for, and appreciated the boy David who slew the giant, who endured much suffering as he awaited the throne of Israel; cheered when he finally became the unifying king, today we study the dark chapter in his life.  

It is spring, when "a young man's fancy lightly turns to love" from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Lockley Hall."  Or, in the case of kings, it is the spring of the year, when kings go out to battle.  Oh, how the story would have turned out better had David the King chosen to be in the battlefield instead of his home!  But he wasn't.  Arising from his nap, he goes to the roof of his house when he spies a beautiful woman bathing.  He inquires about her, sends for her, and sleeps with her.  A clear abuse of power.  Oh, that the story ended here.  His sin resulted in her pregnancy.  His first thought is to have her husband come home under the pretense of reporting to the king progress on the war; he comes and reports, but instead of taking time to go home and record a touching video of a long-awaited warrior's return home by his wife, spends the night with the king's servants in the entrance to the palace.  Not where David hoped he would sleep.  His desire was to have Uriah sleep with his wife, therefore he would come to believe the child she was carrying was his.  David extends his leave another day, invites  him to eat and drink and drink and drink, but again, Uriah chooses to sleep with the servants as a dutiful soldier.  The sins continue, for now David writes a death warrant for Uriah and it is Uriah who delivers it to the general in charge.  "Place Uriah in the fiercest part of the battle, and then retreat away from him so that he may be struck down and die."  Ouch.  

His weakness gave in to his temptation, and David commits several sins.  He gave in to adultery, with a woman who was untouchable because of her purification time as prescribed by the Law, and tries to make it right with lies, and finally the sin of murder.  How can we justify these actions?  We can't.  It is a sad reality that people do sin.  The sins of all people grew and grew and it became necessary for God to send His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins.  

We end with a time for self-reflection and confession before the Lord.  God knows our sins, and God stands ready to forgive.  We have only to confess and ask for pardon, and mercy will be shown.  David's story does not end with today's passage, we shall know more soon.  For now, your story, dear friend, is before you; how will it continue?  It may continue with the sure knowledge that God is a loving and merciful God, who forgives our sins, and as Micah 7 records, casts our sins into the deepest part of the sea; and as Revelation states so clearly the day is coming when the sea will be no more.

PRAYER:  Loving Father, hear my confession, as I lift it up in private, silent thoughts.  Forgive me.  Let me know that not only have I been forgiven, but that You have cast my sins into places where they never shall resurface, for such is Your love and mercy towards me.  Give me the strength to not continue in my sin; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a blessed and great day in the Lord!  No better way than to know that our sins have been forgiven!  Even yours!

Eradio Valverde

God's Love is Awesome! Do You Know That?

Image from slideshare.net

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Ephesians 3:14-21)

Good day, dear Friend!  This is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!  I pray that be true to you, especially since we have chosen to start our day with prayer, devotion, and study of God's precious word.  May you be blessed to the point of overflowing and blessings from you will be for others.  

This passage is known as the Apostle Paul's prayer for his readers in Ephesus.  It was a strong, growing church, but it had its problems.  Paul believed that once someone forgets about the love God has for them, they soon forget almost everything else.  Once a church forgets about God's love, they might as well close down and sell their building.  Paul shares that he prayed kneeling before the Father, and he reminds them that every family in heaven and on the earth has taken its name from God.  So, not only are we made in God's image, we have taken God's name.  He was using a play on Greek words; pater is Greek for father, and patria is Greek for family. Paul prays that out of the eternal and wonderful riches of His glory, we might be strengthened in our inner being with spiritual power for beginning, or continuing, and completing His work among those around us.  His prayer asks that we be grounded and rooted in love.  Love is that strong river of faith and hope that nourishes our roots and grounds us to overcome all obstacles and challenges.  This follows yesterday's gospel lesson on the benevolent king that Jesus is; caring enough to provide for all people, starting with the poor.  At yesterday's miraculous feeding of the 5,000, no questions were asked by Him as to who was there rightly or wrongly, no check was made on their credit or background - everyone was fed.  Paul is saying basically the same thing; out of the love of God, who is the author and fountain of love, we supply physical, emotional, and spiritual love to all people, no questions asked.  Paul is hinting, that if we truly knew how awesome God's love was, we would in awe share it with all people.  "The breath, length, and height and depth" of that love that surpasses knowledge.  It's like asking how many teaspoons of water are in the oceans of the world; and even then, that would be just the beginning of how awesome God's love truly is. The key is to receive it, enjoy it, and share it.  Then, and only then, will God's work be fully accomplished in us and in the work we have been called to do.

Dear Reader, may Paul's prayer be just for you today.  Receive it and begin to receive God's love like never before.  Put away whatever in you has torn you away from that love, or from the love of others for you.  This will bless you, your key relationships, your life's work and purpose, and the joy you can share with others.

PRAYER: Loving Father, thank You for Your awesome love.  Share in me that which I need to be an awesome carrier and bearer of Your love.  Bless me to overflowing, so that I may help quench the thirsty souls around me.  Deepen my roots and ground me firmly in Your love; this I pray in the Name of He who blesses me with love, Jesus my Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  The weather in these parts reminds us that the coolness of God is necessary for the fullness of life; share it with someone today!

Eradio Valverde

A King Who Cares

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After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.  A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’ So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’ When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.  When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going. (John 6:1-21)

Good day dear one!  I pray this finds you doing well and enjoying the afterglow of having been in God's presence yesterday during worship.  We have much to pray about, mainly joys that were shared with us in our church  yesterday; chief on my list, the presence of my bride in worship after a month and a half of recovery at home.  I thank God for that.  I believe the Lucas family had visitors from Nebraska and Russia with us!  There were birthday people and anniversary folks with us as well; and some kind souls dedicated the morning flowers to our church staff, which was very meaningful to Pastor Matt and myself!

I love sharing ConCafe with you each morning, because I learn from the word of God each time I open it.  I find words or phrases that I had just glanced or or didn't pay enough attention to them.  Today's passage is a case in point.  I noticed that after this awesome miracle, the people wanted to force Jesus to be their king!  Why hadn't I noticed that?  But, after years of having to try and praise God for the miracle as shared, I also share some of the scholarly work that has tried to reasonably or rationally explain how this miracle could occur.  In other words, some do not really believe the Son of God; the son of the Creator, could take five barley loaves and two fish and have enough food to feed 5,000 people; at the disciples' reasoning, a feat that would have cost about $25,000 in today's money.  Obviously, they did not have that kind of money.  And some had said, what happened was, that when others saw the generosity of the little boy, they shared what they had brought and presto change-o, they had enough food.  Close, but no cigar!  Others have said, the Roman soldiers, who were everywhere, must have been watching the crowd to make sure they didn't plan a revolt, so they shared their sack lunches with the crowd and enough was had for 5,000.  Hmm.  Nice try.  How about this; God's power was with Jesus, Jesus saw a need, and with His prayer and power, multiplied the loaves and fishes so that everyone ate and at the end, there were 12 baskets of left overs?  You're free to believe whatever you like; I'll stick with the story.  The awesomeness of God does not lend itself to be limited.  As God sees a need and God responds, unexplainable things tend to happen.  We call those events miracles.  And guess what, they still happen today!

The awesomeness continues. After many years of not knowing a benevolent king, and with the recent years having been under Roman control, with Roman puppet heads as kings in the area, the idea of a king who cares enough to feed the hungry in miraculous ways is enough to convince the people that Jesus would make a wonderful king.  Even if He didn't want to!  Jesus walks away from that to continue the real work that would address the most pressing need; people getting right with God.  The disciples see a second miracle, Jesus walking on the water, and the Lord responds with the words so many still need to hear today, "It is I; do not be afraid."  God told this to Adam and Eve in the Garden after their sin, and God would share it again after Jesus' death; truly a message we have to share with so many, especially in times like today.

Jesus is our King.  Jesus is a benevolent ruler.  Jesus cares for, and takes care of, us.  Jesus comes as He who takes away our fears and it is a message that we should share with others.  And we should start with us.

PRAYER:  Loving Father, thank You for Jesus.  Thank You for the unexplained wonderful things that happen in our lives every day.  We are a blessed people.  Help us become the blessed people who bless others with words, deeds, actions, and love.  Grant us courage and boldness to witness to the truth.  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be one who shares what you have now, with those in need now.  In Christ Jesus' name, amen!

Eradio Valverde

Those Who Said Yes to Jesus: Thaddaeus

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and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, (Mark 3:18)

Jump up and down; it's Friday, Friend! Whatever it may mean to you, it's here!  I pray it is a day of blessing and renewal, and that this devotional time would bless you into being a great blessing to someone today.

Dear One, we come to the end of this series; we have covered the Twelve and all their different names and qualities.  Let us never forget that at one point in their lives, they made the most important decision they could have, and that was to say YES to Jesus Christ!  I would hope all of us had we lived back then and had we had the invitation from Jesus, knowing that it might change our lives forever, would have said, "Yes, Lord."  I love the hymn line that says, "Yea, the sturdy dreamers answered, 'to the death we follow Thee." (Are Ye Able, UMH 530).  Even now, we can still say yes to the Lord and we should know it would change our lives forever; need I add, for the better, too?

Jerome called Thaddaeus Trinomius, which means the one with three names.  He has different names in the different gospels.  Mark, as we saw above, calls him Thaddaeus, which auto-correct wants to remove the second "a."  Matthew calls him Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus (Mt. 10:3); Luke calls him Judas the brother of James (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13); which I believe I covered when we talked about Judas the son of James.

Again, the first three gospels say nothing about this man, other than his name.  It is John's gospel where he makes one appearance under the name Judas, not Iscariot.  At the Last Supper he has a question for Jesus:  "Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" And Jesus answered, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him"  (John 14:22-23).  One Latin manuscript has reference to Thad being a Zionist, who was intense and violent, with a dream of world power and domination for the chosen people.  That is why as the days drew to a close for Jesus, he could not understand why nothing alone the lines of what he expected had taken place; thus his question above.  "Lord, show them something!" is basically what he was saying.  Jesus' response was for the faithful to have an obedient heart for Him.

The name of Thaddaeus is connected with one of the most romantic and beautiful legends of the early Church.  It is Eusebius and Jerome, who write, among others (Eusebius The Ecclesiastical History, 1, 13; Jerome, Homily on Matthew, 10, 4).  This legend concerns correspondence between Jesus and Abgarus, King of Edessa, which was a city in Northern Mesopotamia near the Euphrates River.  Eusebius claims to have seen this correspondence in the archives and public registers of Edessa and it is believed he translated it himself from the Syriac language.  The correspondence began with a letter from Abgarus to Jesus.  In it he calls Jesus, savior, and recalls hearing reports that Jesus was healing the blind, and making the lame to walk; cleaning lepers and casting out demons; and the conclusion that either Jesus is God and having come down from Heaven can do these things, or Jesus was the Son of God.  And he also includes in his letter the desire for Jesus to come and heal him and a disease; all the while saying he was aware the Jews were plotting to kill Him.  Jesus responds, "Blessed art thou who has believed in me without having seen me.." and that He could not go and see him because of all that was expected of Jesus where He was.  The letter does say, "But after I have been taken up I will send to thee one of my disciples, that he may heal thy disease, and give life to thee and to thine."  The story goes that after Jesus' Ascension, Thomas sent Thaddaeus -- called an apostle and one of the seventy-- to Edessa.  There Thad took up residence with a man called Tobias and healed so many that the report came to Agbarus and he knew that Thad had been sent for him.  And Thad healed him.  Agbarus said he wished he could have sent an army to destroy "those Jews who crucified Him," but could not because of the Roman dominion.  Aggie wanted to know more about Jesus and invited him to come and speak to him.  Thad said, I'll speak to all the city!  It was arranged that Thaddaeus would speak, and afterwards, the king offered him much gold and silver, but Thaddaeus refused saying, "If we have forsaken that which is our own, how shall we take that which is another's?"

Another legend grew out of that one; Aggie wanted to see a painting of Jesus, and Anaias tried to paint one, but the light and glory which flowed from Jesus' face did not allow that, so Jesus put a garment on His face and the image stayed on it, and that was sent to Aggie, and became the means by which many miracles were brought about.

Thaddaeus went on to preach the gospel in other places and that finally he was killed with arrows in Ararat.  His life is a model for us; we should live and know Jesus, and then to share with all who will hear, the light and the healing which Jesus brought to the world.

PRAYER:  Lord, keep me close to Thee.  Let me learn more about Your love so that as I share with others, they will see the light You have blessed me with and may healing and wholeness come through my words about You to those in need.  In Jesus' strong name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

If you don't have plans for Sunday and find yourself in our area, I will be preaching at FUMC-Gonzales:  Here's the video sent to our church:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUt7LJNTMlo

God's Promise To David

Image from welbeckroadchurch.org.uk

I found David, my servant, poured holy oil on his head, And I'll keep my hand steadily on him, yes, I'll stick with him through thick and thin.  No enemy will get the best of him, no scoundrel will do him in. I'll weed out all who oppose him, I'll clean out all who hate him. I'm with him for good and I'll love him forever; I've set him on high - he's riding high!  I've put Ocean in his one hand, River in the other; he'll call out, 'Oh, my Father - my God, my Rock of Salvation!'  Yes, I'm setting him apart as the First of the royal line, High King over all of earth's kings.  I'll preserve him eternally in my love, I'll faithfully do all I so solemnly promised.  I'll guarantee his family tree and underwrite his rule.  If his children refuse to do what I tell them, if they refuse to walk in the way I show them,  If they spit on the directions I give them and tear up the rules I post for them - I'll rub their faces in the dirt of their rebellion and make them face the music.  But I'll never throw them out, never abandon or disown them. Do you think I'd withdraw my holy promise? or take back words I'd already spoken?  I've given my word, my whole and holy word; do you think I would lie to David? His family tree is here for good, his sovereignty as sure as the sun, Dependable as the phases of the moon, inescapable as weather." (Psalm 89:20-37 The Message)

Dear friend, I slept in!  I awoke on my own at 6:10 a.m.!  I couldn't believe it.  Nellie and I went to bed with the knowledge that today early, we had to travel to Gonzales to have our blood drawn for our annual checkup.  And we just built up on that first appointment of the day.  When one has to fast until that blood is drawn, you want it done so you can eat!  So, here is what I hoped would be a matinee edition of ConCafe, but it comes as Vespers.

This psalm is written as God writing it, even through the eyes and voice of the prophet Samuel, who anointed David.  God's declaration is there as it was in yesterday's passage from 2 Samuel.  This one is more specific; God spelling out all the details of this promise to Israel's great king.  God calls David his servant, anointed by the hand of Samuel, but with God's hand upon that hand.  The promise of God is to stick with David through thick and thin, with the added promise that no enemy shall prevail against them.  And that's a mighty promise given the reality of constant battle that David experienced throughout his life and especially as king.  God promises to set David on high, with the promise of God's love forever upon him.  David's lineage is promised and assured.  Even punishment upon David's children is mentioned, showing the favor God is showing upon David.  God's favor upon David would know no end.

The good news about this passage is the favor of God is upon those who trust Him enough to call out to Him all the time, in the good and the bad.  We may not be kings in this earthly realm, but to reign in the afterlife is a bit of what we can expect according to scripture.  And to face the challenges and opportunities of this life with God's favor with us should be enough to motivate us to move forward confident that God will bless us in whatever it is God would have us do.  Our motivation should be to stay in God's favor each day, with each step.

To stay in God's favor involves our willingness to constantly connect with God through prayer and Bible study and all the spiritual disciplines - abiding in Christ in all things and all ways.

PRAYER:  Amazing God, bless and protect those whom I love and those whom need You to the point they show little or no love towards me or others.  May we seek Your loving favor on us is our prayer, which we lift up in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Show others that God's favor rests upon you!

Eradio Valverde

When God Builds the House

Image from thelake.church

Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.’ Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.’ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever. (2 Samuel 7:1-11)

Good day dear Friend!  May this be a wonderful day in the Lord for you and yours.  May you be a blessing to those who need one the most.  I pray that time with the Lord in prayer and study will be the start of that blessing for you.  As we pray, thank the Lord for a successful surgery in Rev. Virgilio Vasquez Garza's eye!  What the procedure was meant to do worked!  Pray for Cari Hornung who undergoes surgery this morning in Austin.  Pray for a successful surgery and a wonderful recovery time. Pray for yourself, and for one another.

Years ago, two dreamy lovers, engaged and set to move forward in their relationship towards marriage, the woman turned to the man and said, "I don't care if I have to live under a mesquite tree with you; I'll be happy."  Wonderful words that blessed the man's heart.  And, yesterday after a long morning at the Social Security Administration office, the man was ready to say, "That mesquite tree is looking better and better!  The way the gubment figures out how to give us OUR money back, that'll be all we can afford!"  Okay, I made a joke of a very serious conversation many lovers make when they talk about the future. Having a home is an important matter; to be homeless and living on the street is something most of us can truly understand.  Many say, "As long as I have a roof over my head..." and that's true too.  A home is an important thing to God as well.  And unless you want God to only consider your home for yard of the month, invite Him in!  Let Him be a part of your family!" And as you will see in this story shared in the passage, invite God to build your home!

This is shared so that you can have an idea what King David was thinking.  He had some down time between wars, and he was relaxing in his home.  Netflix had nothing good on; he had written a couple of great psalms, was enjoying some iced tea, sweet of course, David's a true Southerner!  It suddenly hit him.  Here I have this nice home, but the ark of the Lord sits in a tent.  (David was thinking that was maybe a step up from homeless.)  I need to build God a home!"  The prophet Nathan at first says, "Go head on; God's with you."  But God appeared to Nate and said, "Hold on, Nate boy!  Here's what you're going to tell the king..."  And the plan was set aside by God.  God's intention was even bigger and more personal for David.  And this is the way God is; we set out to out-give God, and we discover we cannot.  We plan something doable, and God blesses us with the unthinkable.  We see that maybe we will be blessed and whoosh, God floods us with blessings.  God said that He would build David a house.  We're talking permanent residence.  No more tents or RVs or mobile homes.  This is your land, set down roots.  And the house for David involved a lineage of kings to rule over Israel.  The kingdom would be David's.

Reflect on David's life. From the pasture to the palace; from pastor to prince - God was with David and blessed him in incredible ways.  God has done the same for me, for many, and quite possibly for you!  If we invite God to come and be a part of the planning and process.  Many a plan we have set out for ourselves that we did not run through the Planning and Prayer Dept get sided-track when God weighs in on our decisions.  God wants the best for us and provides us the opportunities to take advantage of that; but we must be open to inviting and involving the Lord.  The house God builds for you may not look anything like you planned; the co-occupants will all be blessings to you in their own way through faith.  God is a God of surprises and joys.  And God is a great strength when the not-so-good days arrive to visit (but only for a spell!).

PRAYER:  Loving Father, build the home that we need.  We've tried it our way; now have Your way.  Many of us want houses protected from others; and we may realize you want our homes to involve others as we share the joy of faith with them.  Grant us the vision and dream to bless You.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name.  Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Be the home-builder that blesses your family and so many others!

Eradio Valverde

Once We Were Outsiders; Now We're All In!

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So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by those who are called ‘the circumcision’—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God. (Ephesians 2:11-22)

May this be a wonderful day for you dearFriend! May the joys of the Lord start flowing fresh into your heart, mind, and spirit as we devote time to Him through our study and prayer. I would add that Satan have nothing to do in your life or mine, in the Name of Jesus! I thank you all for the prayers for my dear brother in Christ, Rev. Virgilio Vasquez Garza. His surgery went well and the doctor will evaluate him tomorrow. Pray that that go well. Jenice Benedict has asked that I share this with you: "After 5 months of being in a cast and then in a walking cast boot (because she shattered her tibia in 20 pieces while skiing in February and had surgery to repair), our daughter Alison is now using just a leg brace to do her walking and physical therapy. Going through this ordeal has been hard not only because of the great pain but being a single person (with no helper) in a state so far away from home while continuing to do her job in dental sales. Now, she has new aches and pains all associated with using the leg and muscles. The whole process has been a battle mentally and physically. Please continue to pray for Alison's complete healing and restored leg function. Thank you. Please pray for Alison and her Mom and Dad.

My dad's best work friend was a man named Jim. It didn't start out that way, because Jim decided, without knowing my dad, that he hated him. My dad was a wonderful man in the regard he loved all people and had a sense of humor that broke down walls and barriers. Jim was blunt in telling my dad that he had no use for him and before too long, Jim and my dad were carpooling to work together. Later, when Jim's daughter committed suicide, the only one Jim sought was my dad. I have shared with you that our oldest one day went to talk to Mom with a conversation that went something like, "Not everybody likes Dad, right?" It helped explain why she no longer wanted to attend Sunday school in the church I was serving. Nellie had to tell her that not everyone would always like her either. Sad reality.

Imagine being on the outside because of the way you were born. I can't remember the day before I was born being asked by God what I wanted to be in terms of my race or nationality. Neither can you. But the problem is still with us. Christ came so that we could break down those barriers and instead of having walls, use the bricks to make homes or stoves or fireplaces; useful things like shelter, feeding the hungry, and warming the poor with no resources with which to stay warm. In the church at Ephesus, the problem was very much alive. The question was, "Do you have to be Jewish to be a Christian? Or, can you become a Christian without becoming a Jew?" You can imagine, some said, "Yes, you have to be a Jew; in fact, you must be circumcised for you to accept Jesus as your Lord." Others, "No, you can accept Jesus as Lord without having to become a Jew first." The biggest issue for the ones who wanted people to be Jews first, especially believed that the males had to have been circumcised in the flesh before becoming Christian. The once top Jewish persecutor, Paul, who before meeting Jesus, now argued for the ones who were Gentiles to not be Jews first. The reality, Paul argues, is that before Christ, we were aliens and outsiders; Christ opened the door for us to come in, and now we're all part of the same family. Where we were once far away from each other, now we're close; all because of the blood of Jesus. Once we were living without peace; now He is our peace. Once we were two separate groups; now we're one. Once we had a wall separating us; Christ broke down that wall. Jesus came to put to death the hostilities we have felt for one another. Paul believes, as should we, that Christ came to do away with not only the labels, but the practices that once separated us; strangers no more; aliens no more - we are all citizens and saints, members of the same household of God. If we would practice that radical love, the world would begin to change immediately.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I confess that I among all people, sometimes build walls so that others can stay out of my life. Help me to tear those walls down, and to use those materials for the good of others. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Smile at those who frown at you. Not only may they crack a smile, you might just crack a wall...

Eradio Valverde

Just Touch Jesus

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The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed. (Mark 6:30-34, 53-56)

I pray you're having, or about to have, a wonderful day, dear Friend!  May time spent in prayer and Bible study be an investment in rich blessings that are coming your way!  As you pray today, please remember to lift up The Rev. Virgilio Vasquez-Garza of San Antonio undergoing needed eye surgery.  May the Lord work through the surgeon and all who will tend to Virgilio today, to bring him health.  Thank you!

Years ago, I was serving a church in Mission, Texas.  We had a wonderful member who worked with the McAllen Chamber of Commerce.  She was the "go-to" lady in international relations as well as business relations. And she called me and asked, if the church could allow a new pizza company to park an 18-wheeler kitchen in front of our educational building.  The company was Little Caesar's and they were making their national debut.  Their idea was to bring a huge mobile kitchen to several areas, set up shop and just hand out free pizza.  Those two words together are enough to start a buzz in any neighborhood.  Heck, just say one of those words around my grandkids and contentment arrives with a huge smile on its face!  Thinking evangelistically as well as realistically, I said yes!  And so I started calling church members whom I knew would come and help out in whatever ways we could, adding those two magical words for their own families, "Free Pizza!"  The truck came, as did the people.  The realistic side of me knew there were people with not enough to eat in our neighborhood, and soon they were all in line.  Not a bad deal.  A large, pepperoni pizza to go.  We soon had crowds in front of our church.  Word got out.

The same thing always happened to Jesus, who by the way, beats free pizza any day of the week!  His messages, His healing touch were what the crowds wanted and needed.  This passage for today shows the impact the crowds had on Jesus.  "They had no leisure even to eat."  That's busy.  And when they try to get some down time to themselves, they're followed or word gets out that He and his band were in a certain place, and there come the crowds again.  Jesus loved the people with His eyes of a shepherd; "They were like sheep without a shepherd."  And as the Good Shepherd, He taught them about life and its fullness that He offered and still offers today.  The crowds were drawn to Jesus and more so when they discovered that even touching the fringe or hem of His garment, they could be healed.

Most of us will fight a crowd to get free pizza.  All of us will fight a crowd to be made whole.  But how many of us will seek the quiet place for prayer to just touch Jesus' heart with our prayers?  Jesus is within reach; we have but to reach out and seek to touch Him.  We may think, He's too busy, when in reality we're saying we're too busy, or we're unwilling to make time to touch Jesus.  Make time.  Share with your Savior that which is making your sick.  It may be a mental issue like worry, or a symptom of an illness - give it to Jesus.  It may be an emotional issue; a precious relationship is in peril - give it to Jesus.  Whatever it is, Jesus has dealt with it before and He will surely deal with yours.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, behind my busyness, I sense the weakness in my life.  You better then me know what it is, and I turn it over to You.  May this be the touch I've been searching for; may your garment of peace, healing, and truth be that which touches me as I seek to touch You.  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  May you lead others to the touch of Jesus!

Eradio Valverde

Those Who Said Yes to Jesus: Bartholomew

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Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; (Matthew 10:3)

Happy Friday to you, Friend!  Here's trusting your plans to this weekend include time with God in God's House!  And, today will be great if we listen to God as He speaks through His word and perhaps through this devotional.  May our prayer time today include prayers for Mr. Doug Smith as he undergoes a long surgery today in San Marcos.  He's set to be under the knife for 5.5 hours.  This is part of the battle against cancer.  Pray for his wife, Autumn, and their children.  Doug and Autumn have been a joy and a blessing to Nellie and our girls since we met them while I was serving First UMC in San Marcos.  May the Lord be glorified in this day with the Smith family.  Prayers for the family of Mrs. Olga Molina, a longtime family friend, servant of the Lord's from McAllen, Texas.  Olga was very active in all areas of the church; we came to know here through her involvement with youth and later through the UMW.  Prayers for the family of John Nieto.  John was the son of my first district superintendent.  He was also a known painter of Indian art in the Southwest.

All we know about this apostle is his name.  Bartholomew.  And what makes it interesting, is that some scholars believe that was his surname.  The possibilities are high that his first name was Nathanael.  Surname because it's more than likely that it follows the Jewish tradition of bar, meaning son of, and in this case, a man named Tolmai.  Although, his first name may have been Nate, we will deal with that next week.

The first three gospels never mention Nathanael.  The Fourth Gospel, John, never mentions Bartholomew.  Hmm.  In the lists in each gospel that reference Bart, it is also with Philip; and since it was Philip who brought Nate to Jesus (John 1:45), and since Philip is closely identified with Bart and Nate, it may be they're the same person.  But certain proof falls short, and Nate has been identified with many other people in the Gospel story.  

We go to tradition and legend to see what we can find out about Bartholomew.  The most interesting comes from Jerome.  Jerome shares how he believes Bart to be of noble birth.  We find in 2 Samuel 3:3 there is the mention of a Talmai who was king of Geshure, whose daughter was called Maacah, and she becomes the mother of Absalom, whom she bore to David.  And the possibility is that Bart descended from this lineage, which is a royal lineage.  The other possibility is that Bart may have been connected to Ptolemy, thus the son of Ptolemy, and the Ptolemies were the kings of Egypt, and that Bart was connected to the royal house of Egypt.  While this cannot be proved completely, the thought at the apostolic band lived in perfect harmony with the humble fishermen of Galilee.

Legend also tells us that Bart may have gone to preach in India.  Pantaenus, a stoic philosopher from Alexandria, when converted to the Christian faith went to India to preach.  He found there were already Christians there who also possessed  the Gospel of Matthew in Hebrew.  He wrote, "For Bartholomew, one of the apostles, had preached to them, and left them with the writings of Matthew in the Hebrew language, which they had preserved until that time."  

He is also believed to have preached in Phrygia.  The Acts of Philip records how Philip and Bartholomew preached in Hierapolis and how Philip was martyred there; Bartholomew escaped and went to preach in other places.  These include Armenia, where the Armenian Church claims him as their founder.  It is said he met his martyrdom there in Albana.  This death was brought about because Bartholomew's preaching rendered the heathen gods powerless.  He performed many signs and wonders there, including the healing of the king's lunatic daughter; exposing the emptiness of the king's idol, and the banishing of the demon who possessed it.  The king and many others were baptized, but their priests became hostile and went to the king's brother, who had Bartholomew arrested and beaten with clubs, flayed alive, and crucified in agony.  And so, Bartholomew died a martyr for his Lord.

There exists an apocryphal Gospel of Bartholomew that tells us four questions Bart asked of Jesus and Mary between the time of Jesus' resurrection and ascension.  First question:  Where did you go Jesus from the cross?  The answer was that Jesus went to the House of Hades, scourged Hades himself, and bound him in chains that cannot be loosed.  Thus the "descent into hell" that we have.  The second question:  How many souls die and are born each day?  The numbers vary from the different manuscripts that exist; but the number is 30,000 souls die each day, and only 3 are found righteous.  30,001 souls are born each day in the world.  Bartholomew asked Mary about the Annunciation, and Mary answers that in the book.  Last question: Bartholomew asks to see the abyss and the adversary of man.  The devil is revealed to him, and Bartholomew is allowed to place his foot upon the devil's neck.  He asks about the sin agains the Holy Spirit, which Jesus answers, and at the end of the questioning, Bartholomew "took hold of the hand of the Lord the lover of men," and uttered a magnificent ascription of praise:  "Glory be to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that giveth unto all the grace that all we have perceived.  Alleluia.  Glory be to Thee, O Lord, the life of sinners. Glory be to Thee, O Lord, death is put to shame.  Glory be to Thee, O Lord, the treasure of righteousness.  For unto God we sing."

Truly, a man who knew the Lord intimately, loved Him, and lived to preach and died for the faith.

PRAYER:  Loving God, grant us a stronger faith to live and share You!  In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Let the name of Jesus be known in you today!

Eradio Valverde

The Less Popular Sibling...

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The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully. They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation. Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. (Psalm 24)

Good day dear friend!  May this find you blessed, refreshed and ready to go!  If not, may your time with the word of God and time in prayer re-connect you in an awesome way with the Awesome Power of God.  That's my prayer and I'm sticking to it!

Dear one, may we start our time with prayer?  I visited yesterday with The Rev. Sheldon Johnson in his hospital room.  With him was The Rev. Bill Henderson.  We spoke of old days and good times.  We prayed.  Sheldon is in good spirits, all things considered; but today will be a difficult day.  His wife, Sharon, and his 13 year old son, Ray, will be laid to rest in Mason, Texas.  Sheldon is still too weak to travel, so he will watch the committal service by FaceTime.  Pray the Lord strength and comfort Sheldon during that worship time.  Also, The Rev. Virgilio Vasquez Garza is facing eye surgery this coming Monday in San Antonio.  Pray for his healing through this surgery.  Tomorrow, Mr. Doug Smith, will undergo surgery in San Marcos.  Prayers for his healing as well.  Thank you for your willingness to pray!

Our passage today is Psalm 24.  As I was reading it this morning I had to tweet:  "Poor Psalm 24; the overlooked younger brother of the MOST FAMOUS psalm. I won't say it's the Billy Carter of Psalms, but man, people LOOK for the 23rd Psalm. Poor 24! 'Oh, it's right before this one!' Just saying..."  I'm aware there may be younger readers who will ask, "Who's Billy Carter?"  I dared not use one of his pictures online, so I'll leave it to Aunt Google to explain it to them.  Please do not get me wrong!  PSALM 24 IS AN AWESOME PSALM!  It is a psalm of praise of the Lord, and sings of God's mighty power and battle-readiness.  (I suggest you read it in the Message Version which is available online through biblestudytools.com).  I say again what Nellie and I learned back in March in Jerusalem:  The Bible is a book that tells God's story using geography.  It's different from most, if not all other, holy books; ours tells the important story of God connecting it to important places.  This one psalm mentions the seas, rivers, hills (mountains), ancient doors (of the Temple), gates of the holy city (Jerusalem); and the need for those gates, and those to our hearts and lives, be open to the Lord.  And it makes sense for us to read this psalm after the one who says the Lord is our shepherd!  He cannot be our shepherd if we do not open the gates of our lives to Him.  This 24th Psalm also calls us to be aware of what it takes to stand in God's holy place:  Clean hands and put hearts.  Think about those two.  Every time I celebrate the sacraments I clean my hands with hand sanitizer, but also spiritually.  I pray the Lord remove anything not holy and pure from my heart, and my hands, so that I may be the hands of God in celebrations and in life.

If we are to serve the King of Glory, we must surrender to Him on a daily basis.  The laurels of yesterday serve only as foundation for what we do today.  The echoes of past errors should have ended last night at midnight; and the new day should be the beginnings of opportunities to glorify God.  May that be our prayer based on the prayer that is Psalm 24.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank You for all the Psalms.  May the words to today's psalm fuel my day into being a day of victories in which I praise You and share You with those who are in need.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, lifting up the names above who need Your special touch and power today.  Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Open the gates of your heart and life to God today and all days!

Eradio Valverde

This was shared with the members of FUMC- Gonzales and it's an invitation to you all as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdPUZhjtTWk

David Gets Down! Momma says, "Get Up!"

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David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim. They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart with the ark of God; and Ahio went in front of the ark. David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. It was told King David, ‘The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.’ So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; and when those who bore the ark of the Lordhad gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart. They brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt-offerings and offerings of well-being before the Lord. When David had finished offering the burnt-offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts, and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes. ( 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19)

Good day dear Friend! I hope this finds you ready, willing, and excited about the day's opportunities and possibilities!  "New every morning is the steadfast love and mercies of the Lord" says the book meant to lament all things!  So, start the new day with God's love and mercy for us.  What was yesterday stayed there as of midnight last night!

Ah, King David.  Slays a giant for the Lord and his country, gets a lot of money, a life-long Get Out of Jail card from the king, and, he gets the king's daughter as a wife!  The polls show him way up, and this is while he's still a boy!  As he grows older, he's now king and as part of his efforts to unify the country, he turns to an important spiritual matter; the ark of the covenant.  It's so important it inspired a series of movies with Indiana Jones!  The ark was built as a throne or chair for God.  God never wanted anything that would limit Him to one place; He wanted the world to know that He is everywhere (and He is!).  At that point in their history, the Israelites were tent people and they wondered what they could do for God.  God responds that they can build him a chair.  The ark came to represent all that was holy about their faith and in this ark, they placed the tablets of the Ten Commandments.  The ark had wondered from place to place, David finds out where it is and believes it is his duty as king to retrieve it and place it in the holy city.  So, with 30,000 of his best friends he heads to where the ark is located and brings it back.  Remember, the ark is very holy.  Only certain men would touch it and only certain people could walk in front of it.  Everything was right in the world as David leads the procession of victory as the ark is being brought back into Jerusalem.  The setting was ripe for a glorious parade; trumpets were blowing, people are cheering and waving palm branches, and David, moved by the excitement begins to dance.  The graphic above shows how the king is dressed.  It was a hot July day; Texas style, humid and hot.  The king wears a linen ephod.  He would not have been seated at most restaurants with the sign, No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service.  David wore no shoes, nor a shirt, nor anything else; he was in a festive mood!  He wanted to praise God and so as they approach Jerusalem, he begins to dance and leap!  As they walk by the palace, the first lady, Michal, daughter of Saul, the grand prize for having slain Goliath, looks out and sees her husband jumping and leaping and praising God, and does not like what she sees.  I'll leave it to your imagination or read further in this chapter to see what the conversation was like later at the parsonage, uh, I mean palace.

David had every right, I believe, to celebrate in the way he did.  This was the long-awaited victory parade in downtown Jerusalem, with news bigger and better than the Astros winning the World Series!  This was the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Championship, World Cup, and Fourth of July parades all meshed into one.  Macy's store windows are not big enough to fill all that would have been in them for this special day.  Yet, in the heart of one person, one from his own household; all was not right in the world.  David was not yet aware of this, and so he continued the celebration.  He led the sacrifices and religious obligations tied to it, then helped hand out a blessing to all the people, as well as bread for each, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins.  Parade over, people happy; everyone went home.

Our worship celebrations center on God.  It is the hope of most pastors to plan and lead those services which call people to worship and praise God, united the church into a common vision and purpose, and then to send all out into the mission field to serve the Lord.  Humanly speaking, we know that not all people receive the same thing.  I won't waste time listing whines and complaints that I have heard in my over 40 years experience as pastor; I simply say, Praise the Lord and set everything else aside.  

PRAYER:  Loving God, You call us to love and serve You.  You invite us to worship You and You deserve it.  May our celebrations bring us closer to You and closer to each other.  Bless this dear reader with a renewed vision of purpose and hope; much yet still left to do.  Help us accomplish that to which we are called.  This we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  When you have time, and nobody's watching, leap for the Lord (For some it may be only in your heart, but that counts too!)

Eradio Valverde

It's in Christ We Find Out Who We Are & What We're Living For

Image from godlygirllife.com

How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.  Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.  Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people - free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free!  He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ,  a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.  It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living,  part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.  It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free - signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit.  This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. (Ephesians 1:3-14 The Message)

Good day dear Friend!  Praying that this devotional bless and fuel your life for a marvelous day in the Lord!  Focus on Christ Jesus and His love for you; set aside any worry or doubt, anxiety or pain you feel in your spirit, and let Him bless you.  As we pray this day, please remember those who are hurting, in pain, needing health, and hope.  I ask prayers for the family of Jack Todd, a member of my former church, FUMC-Harlingen, who at 51 died of a massive heart attack. He leaves behind his wife and three daughters.  May God's comfort be with them is our prayer.

We are on the mind of God!  Thanks for reading; have a great day!  What more could I possibly add to this powerful verse?  Well, the rest of the verse might be nice, "the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by His love."  And this, through our adoption by God into His family.  We also need to read that we're "free people - free of penalties and punishments chalked up by our misdeeds." And we add, "And not just barely free, either.  Abundantly free!"  Wow!  We matter to God so much that we are on His mind, and He loves us so much we are on His heart.  And through that love we have found freedom from penalties and punishments.  What a great adoptive parent we have!  As we explore that, stop to read again the title of today's devotion, and to reflect on who we are in Jesus Christ; that will help us understand what we are living for.  Jesus freed us from our sin, and from that life that goes with sin, and He opened the prison doors to a whole new world of possibilities and opportunities to serve God and God's people.  Our mission team just got back from Costa Rica and they have returned home with much more than they gave.  That always happens; we think we're going to bless someone and we end up leaving that person or site with more blessings than we thought were possible.  As an intern minister many years ago, I had a hesitation to visit nursing homes.  In those days, they reeked to high heaven of foul odors, and were not really inviting places.  But, I had church members in those places and I wanted/needed/was ordered to visit them.  Almost every one of those people blessed me more than I thought I was going to bless them.  I went with hesitation and reservation, and left with blessings and motivation; to see more people and share more the love of God.

What we have received from God is only the tiny beginning of a huge blessing that awaits us.  This version says, it's a "signet from God," a "first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life."  Share what you have, and share it with joy.  And do it not for what you will get back, but the blessing that comes with sharing!  Someone is waiting for you.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, thank You for all You have already shared with me.  Let me use that which I have from You to bless others and make them aware of the great gifts You have for them and me.  Give me strength and courage, give me the words.  In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Make someone's day by smiling and sharing with them.

Eradio Valverde

The Death of John the Baptist

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King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some weresaying, ‘John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.’ But others said, ‘It is Elijah.’ And others said, ‘It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.’ But when Herod heard of it, he said, ‘John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.’ For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, ‘It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.’ And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.’ And he solemnly swore to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.’ She went out and said to her mother, ‘What should I ask for?’ She replied, ‘The head of John the baptizer.’Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. (Mark 6:14-29)

Good day dear Friend!  Here's trusting God has richly blessed you this weekend and now you're ready to bless God!  May this time of prayer and devotion speak to your head and mind, in Jesus' name, amen!

Today's passage deals with a sad chapter in Jesus' life.  His cousin, John, whom we know for what he did; John the Baptist or Baptizer, meets with an early death because of his boldness in speaking the truth.  John was sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus, but with the zeal of that call, he also knew to address the evils of the day, including the fact that their king, Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, was living with the wife of his brother.  They were married, but still, John saw and called it adultery.  It seems that Herod could have cared less for any label thrown on him, but his wife, Herodias (poor lady and her parents' choice for a name) did not care to be called an adulteress.  Yet, it was the truth and John shared it to the point that he was arrested.  "Honey, I'm sick and tired of that wild man outside the palace calling us names!  Have him arrested!"  was probably how that day went.  And still, the hatred festered in her heart.  We'll rewind a bit, for the passage begins after John's death with news of Jesus' power reaching Herod.  He believes him to be John the Baptist brought back to life.  There was something about John that touched Herod's heart.  He knew John to be a man of God and his messages "perplexed" Herod; yet he liked to hear him preach.  But the day of his birthday would be the day of John the Baptist's death.  Herodias, the daughter of Herodias (huh?), came and danced for her step-father, and some have said it was the Dance of the Seven Veils,  I should mention  other gospels have her named as Salome.  Either way, the dance pleased Herod and he offered to give her anything she wanted for having danced that for him, including up to half of his kingdom.  The girl goes and asks Mom what she should ask for, and for the elder Herodias it was a no-brainer; she wanted John dead.  "Ask for the head of John the Baptist."  And so it went.  Herod hated to do it, but not willing to lose face in front of his guests, has a soldier go and fulfill the task of beheading Jesus' cousin.  The humiliating touch was that Herodias wanted his head on a platter, which she got.  The disciples of John came to claim his body and buried it in a tomb.

This death greatly affected Jesus as it would have any of us.  Jesus loved his cousin and loved his ministry. He had been baptized by John and Jesus respected his work and word.  And though John was now in God's presence, the absence here touched Jesus in a sorrowful way.  John loved God so much that he was faithful to his calling and purpose, and not even the thought of death caused him to waver in that plan God had for his life.  Yesterday in church, we studied Daniel, whose faith also let him continue with faithfulness towards God, and not even death in a lions' den scared nor stopped him.  We, on the other hand...  Some of us care about what people may think, or what friends may say.  We don't want to lose our jobs or the respect of coworkers.   Many are willing to compromise their faith for the sake of face, and saving face.  That is not the Christian way.  We place God first and we seek to please God regardless of what people may say.  On that day when we stand before the Lord we want to be able to say that we stayed faithful and we spoke on God's behalf with courage and boldness.  Great will be our reward, far greater than a momentary smile or nod in our favor by our so-called friends.  

Seek then, dear friend, to live a life that blesses God and may perplex others.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, be blessed by my life.  Strengthen me to live boldly and courageously.  I seek to please You and not those around me.  Let me be the voice of reason and truth, even in the face of common held misconceptions.  When I feel down, lift me up with Thy encouragement.  This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Smile a smile of truth as you seek to please God today!

Eradio Valverde

PRAYER REQUESTS/UPDATES: It was wonderful too see  Mr. Bob Clark was in church yesterday and his treatments for cancer continue.  May the Lord bless Bob with health.  Rev. Sheldon Johnson continues to need our prayers and if so led, our support.  A GoFundMe account has been started for him and if you're on FaceBook you can access it through my page.  Valorie Daniel's children came up to request prayer for her during the close of worship in second service.  Valorie was bitten by a copperhead this week.  She is recovering at home after an overnight hospital stay.  Nellie Valverde continues to heal, but has severe pain and nausea; prayers for her continued healing, please.  Pray for one another, pray for yourselves.