Everything Will Be All Right!

Image from 8tracks.com

If you'd like to hear this devotional read to you, please click here: http://bit.ly/2xdpjWp

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

May it be a word of encouragement and comfort to you, dear Friend for today and the rest of this week is my prayer. As we pray let us pray for Mr. Gene Kridler as today he is having knee surgery. Also, prayers for Erin & Kyle Schroeder. Kyle is the former worship leader at Two Rivers Bible Church in Gonzales, TX. They now live in Colorado. Erin just found out she is 6 weeks pregnant with twins and today she was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. Prayers for all the family. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

As a pastor I have been present at events and occasions where I could not begin to understand the deep grief and sadness in the hearts of those experiencing the loss or events. One that comes to mind was a wedding, which one usually associates with much joy and gladness. On the night of the rehearsal in the church, a young boy was to walk his mother down the aisle to be wed to her intended. The child was the son of the mom and her ex-husband who had divorced some years prior to this marriage. As the music began and the son and mom were approaching the altar, the boy broke free of his mom and shouted, "NO!" and ran down the aisle into our cry room. This took place in a matter of seconds that seemed like hours in slow motion. I knew I had to be the one behind the mother to comfort the son. In his heart and mind the hope of a reunion between his mom and dad, like most children of divorce I'm supposing, was what he actually wanted to happen. The idea of another man marrying his mom shattered his dream and he believed, his life. I imagine the experience that King David went through led him to write the words of this psalm. One can hear him or us yelling at the top of our voices, "Help me God!" The wound was very much open and bleeding, the pain very real, and the words of friends trying to help us sounded like muffled pillows on our ears. If we hear "Everything will turn out all right," we, like the author of this version would say, "I don't believe you!" Your similar experience may have involved illness, or an accident, a loss, or something very devastating.

David then laid out on a table what he knew God had done in and among the "ancients," and then the things that God had done in his life. It is in those moments that we either realize that God is awesome, or we are mad at God. David chose to make this a holy moment. It is both a moment of surrender and worship. He realized that even in the loss or sadness that God was love, and that God's way was holy. All creation realizes that God is awesome and though we may be a step or two or a million behind, we need to affirm and accept that too.

God has pulled His people out of the worst kind of trouble, and guess what? He's still in that business! Take a moment. Take a deep breath. Say a little prayer. Turn it over to God. And lay it all out on the table and realize again, and again, that God is good. Maybe not right away, maybe not tomorrow, but we know that everything will be alright!

PRAYER: Loving Father, You know the heart and need of this dear reader. You know what it is that stands before them as a tough challenge; make Your presence real by sharing Your peace. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be the person of comfort and support that your neighbor may need.

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde

ConCafe is now on Spotify and also at anchor.fm. Please click below to hear yesterday's ConCafe on "Tough to Say Goodbye."http://bit.ly/31YYYcC

Saying Goodbye Can Be Tough!

Image from newlifenarrabi.wordpress.com

Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent." Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent." Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. (2 Kings 2:1-12 NRSV)

Good morning, dear Reader. I pray this finds you well. The passage for today reminds me that this is very close to moving week for pastors in the United Methodist Church of the Río Texas Conference. This is a period of mixed emotions for both the outgoing pastor, the pastor's family, and the church; add to that the incoming pastor and families; a time for serious prayer for all who are moving. Pray also for those pastors staying, that God will renew their hearts and spirits for another year of faithful and fruitful ministry. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

Saying goodbye can be tough! And this story is about a tremendous prophet saying goodbye to his protege and the protege's struggle with saying goodbye to his mentor. Last week we studied the life and struggles of the prophet Elijah and how he reached the point of asking God to take him home to heaven. And as we read, today is that day when it was going to happen. Elisha was the protege, and he had been appointed to take Elijah's place. Elijah had had a very impressive but difficult ministry as God's prophet. He had been successful in facing and defeating the prophets of Baal; in sharing God's word to the nation, and having God's personal reassurance that God was with him. Now on the cusp of his returning home to God, Elijah sees it as a personal and private event. He tries to convince Elisha that he should stay while he makes his departure. Elisha is adamant that he will not leave him alone. Elijah has a journey to make from Gilgal to Bethel, and he wants to take that journey alone. Elisha does not agree. It gets interesting and comical when a group of prophets form Gilgal purposely come towards Elisha and taunt him about his mentor's departure. It's Monday at the office at the water cooler: "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" This is not what the boy wanted to hear! And this scene gets repeated by another group of prophets, this time from Jericho; and guess what they said. Yes, the very same thing as their brothers back in Gilgal. Elisha replies, "I know, I know! Now, just shut up!" Again, the master tries to get Elisha to stay put. He again says no. And as they travel, their entourage grows. A group of about fifty prophets are following the two. They realized the departure of the master prophet Elijah was something to experience. Elisha begins with a miracle of taking his mantle and having rolled it, strikes the water and the water parts, one side to the other, and the two are able to walk through the opening. A minor Red Sea miracle. Here the master asks the protege what goodbye gift he can give him. Elisha may have been thinking about this for a while, for he says, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." Elisha knew the setup of the ministry, and the powers that were and that were to be. He knew the story of how the Queen, mean ole Jezebel, tried to kill his master. He knew how the King sided with her, and how he had led the nation away from God. To ask not just the spirit that blessed Elijah, but a double portion of it, was a wise request. The master says that if he saw the way he was taken away into Heaven, then it would be given to him. If he did not, then it would not happen.

As the two walked, "a chariot of fire and horses of fire" came between the two and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Though he was a prophet, the separation and the sight of this incredible thing amazed and saddened him. He cries out of his sadness and out of this event that is at once historical and powerful. "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horseman!" Elijah makes the connection back to their traditions and also affirms the presence and power of God in the moment. He stares at his master ascending upward into Heaven and when he could no longer see him, grieves in the ancient manner of tearing his garments in two.

The Bible records two events where a human did not die, but was taken by God. The first was Enoch, a man who loved God so much that he walked with God so closely that one day the walk did not end.(Genesis 5:21). An incredible way to leave this earth. And we just read the second event; Elijah got a fiery Uber from Heaven to carry him into the presence of God. Years later, another man asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" a question asked even today by so many, perhaps in different forms, but all wanted to know how can we get life to not stop? Even the disciples when others were deserting Jesus, when asked why they did not leave, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:60-69. This is easy to remember because John 6:66 (great combo of numbers!) is the verse where it says many who followed Jesus deserted Him.)

You and I have heard the words. You and I have our names in the Book of Life; the promise is that because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we shall not die, but have eternal life. We may not get the Lyft of fire, and our walk with God may not take us straight to heaven like Enoch, but we will get there if we continue to love and trust God, and to love one another and to do what we can to help others and bring others into the faith.

PRAYER: Loving Father, pour out Your Spirit on us as we travel through this life. Empower and embolden us to be the witnesses the world needs to see. Help us to bless the poor in spirit and the ones who have lost all hope. Renew us for faithful and fruitful service. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Walk closely with the Lord today (and don't turn down a fiery ride from God if it shows up!).

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde

Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit.

Image from agnusday.org

Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out - in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then? My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day.Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom. But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard - things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good - crucified. Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. (Galatians 5:1, 13-25 The Message Version)

When did you become truly free, dear Friend? I grew up in an era when I was pretty much free. Yes, I had rules and understandings of right and wrong decisions. And yes, I did violate those. But during the day I was free to go pretty much all over Kingsville, but I had to come for supper or when called. Mom's voice carried very well! The farthest I ever went was to the edge of the King Ranch, armed with my BB gun and accompanied by my friend Alex. We ran into some javelinas and they chased us up a tree, where we waited until they left and we were able to jump down and run home. Thank God we were not late. But my freedom came when I left for college. And the more I came to love, trust and serve the Lord the more freedom I enjoyed.

Paul's understanding of a free life means that when he came to realization of a life of grace, where our confessed sins are forgiven and taken off as a heavy weight from our spirits. No more living tied to the Law, but tied to the same cross as Jesus; seeking to free others from the bondage and weight of sin and guilt. Our freedom means we can share freely and openly the message of joy that comes from knowing Jesus, and to love one another in the way that Jesus meant. It also means to love people enough to share a message of deliverance from the sure road that leads to an eternal separation from God. Paul quotes Jesus when he writes, "Love others as you love yourself." And he adds, "that's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out - in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?" Our title for today's devotional comes from the next words, "My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness." True Christian love is others-centered, rooted in Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit. The result is a thoughtful, two steps ahead of you individual that seeks to glorify the Lord in deeds and words that build up, and fortifies other believers as well as the work of the Kingdom of God. A free person in the Lord, is animated and motivated by God's Holy Spirit. The opposite is what Paul groups together as "repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal tempter; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on." This is not the free way to live our lives, and this modern version of Paul's list may hit close to home for some of us, but we have the powerful option to go with Christ and live the life described above. It is our choice. We should choose Jesus!

PRAYER: Awesome God, may this time of preparing to celebrate the Fourth of July and the freedom of our nation, remind us of. what is truly important when we speak of being free. Free us for faithful and obedient behavior in You. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Shine the freedom you have found in Jesus!

Eradio Valverde

Have You Set Your Face?

Image from steadfastLutherans.org

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:51-62 NRSV)

May the blessings of the Lord Jesus be with you and yours during this Monday, dear Friend! I pray time in prayer and study bring rich and wonderful blessings to you. As we pray, let us raise our praises to the Lord for answered prayers. Mr. Bill Keck is home as of Saturday. He and Willa were overjoyed to leave the hospital and spend a couple of days with their son, and then to come home. We thank You, Lord! Please continue to pray for the family of Rosaline Neuse, whose funeral was Saturday, and for the family of Patricia Ray, a delightful woman who blessed Nellie and me when I was her pastor at FUMC-San Marcos. She had a memorial service on Saturday as well. May God's comfort be with all who mourn these two or others whom may have passed away during these days. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

Nellie and I have had our share of laughter and delight with each of our four girls' especially when one of them had set their face to doing something. The most memorable was our youngest when we lived behind the church in Mission, TX. Across the street from the church was the butcher shop where we bought our meat. One afternoon, Nellie, and I, walked to the shop to buy meat for the week. Caty, our youngest, saw us leaving and decided she needed to join us. She was determined! She chose a pair of Mom's shoes, and put them on, and filled a bag with clothes, and comically started out the back door and down the alley towards the street. Thankfully, our daughter Nellie saw her, and ran to get her. There's no stopping a person who has "set their face" to a task. Nowadays, we might say they're "in the zone."

Jesus was in the zone. He knew the importance and magnitude of His mission. Jerusalem was the city where it would all take place. Jesus sends messengers ahead of Him. All that needed to happen, the room where Jesus would have supper, the foal, donkey, etc., all had been taken care of by Jesus. This even included a stop in a city that did not want to receive Him, but it didn't matter; the bigger plan was now in motion and there would be nothing nor no one that could stop it. The disciples reacted like probably you and I might have; "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from Heaven and consume them?" (I might have added, "Please?? Please??"). Okay, I would have understood the rebuke from Jesus.

Some timeless lessons follow on the road to Jerusalem. A well meaning would-be follower of Jesus comes to volunteer himself. HIs offer seems sincere,"I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answers honestly, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." The person probably decided a nice warm bed in one's home was better than the challenge of following Jesus in the way Jesus demanded. Jesus invites another with the famous, "Follow me." But, this man says, "Lord, let me go and bury my father." William Barclay in his multi-volume collection of commentaries on the New Testament explains it this way. Whenever a person said let me go and bury my father, they were in effect saying, "While my dad lives I have to comply with what he has asked of me; let me serve him until he dies and then I can follow you." You can understand that no one knows how long or how short that might be. Yet, the concluding part of Jesus' command, "but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." In other words, whatever excuse you might think you have, you still have the greater obligation of sharing Jesus. A third one comes and sort of offers himself, if he can first say farewell to his family at home. Jesus responds with an illustration that most everyone would understand; that of plowing. No one can plow who cannot keep his/her head towards the work ahead, not behind. We want straight rows, not crazy ones. To follow Christ involves setting your face towards the task. Turn back and lament "could-have-beens" is not healthy. There is nothing sadder than to hear someone say, "Had I married this person I would have been here," or "Had I stayed with the career I had before God called me into ministry I could have been (title) or making (Salary)." Onward and upward should be our motto. When The Beatles, the group that would become the number one group in the world, encountered setbacks or huge obstacles, their leader would ask, "Where are we going boys?" And they had been taught by him, John Lennon, to say, "To the topper most of the poppermost, Johnny!" meaning to the tops of the pop music scene.

So, our question for today remains: Have we set our faces towards what God has called us to? Are we full in, and in the zone for Jesus? Any doubt or question threatening to derail your faith? Now is not the time to doubt, but the time for action. Now is the time to proclaim the Kingdom of God as Jesus ordered. The writer of Hebrews said it best, "Now Fatih is the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews11:1). Note the key words, assurance, which means no doubt - you are sure of Who you believe in. And hope is an awesome word that means possibilities and salutations and ways out still exist and are still available to those who hope. Then we have the word Conviction, which is a word that runs deep, a certainty of, get this, "things not seen." It's one thing to believe in something you've seen; it's a God thing to believe with absolute certainty in something you have not seen. The world may mock us, Satan may taunt us, but God honors those who have faith.

So how do we set our face? We turn and look to Jesus. Our faith is in Him and He will guide and bless us. Our face set to Jesus is all about prayer. And prayer involves as much listening as talking; we share with God in prayer, and after Amen, we listen to see what God may be saying. It is about learning more about Him through scripture reading and study. It's all about worship and the realization that we place God in His proper place in our lives and we allow Him to guide us.

PRAYER: Loving God, help us set our face towards You. We know You will show us the road and You will guide us. We want to proclaim you in whatever setting or opportunity You send. We want to glorify You. Increase our faith, with an assurance, a hope, and a conviction that will withstand all the darts the enemy may shoot at me. It's in Christ Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be Faith in action today! Let Christ shine in and through you!

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde

The Walls Came Tumbling Down

Image from testifygod.com

The Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have handed Jericho over to you, along with its king and soldiers. You shall march around the city, all the warriors circling the city once. Thus you shall do for six days, with seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, the priests blowing the trumpets. When they make a long blast with the ram's horn, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and all the people shall charge straight ahead." (Joshua 6:2-5 NRSV)

May this be a fabulous Friday for you and yours, dear Friend! As you plan the weekend, please make plans to include God in them. If you have a home church, worship the Lord on Sunday. If you need a church home, find one near you that preaches the word of God. Please be in prayer for Bill Keck as he is out of the hospital and resting at his son's home in Spring, TX, hoping to return back to Gonzales on Saturday. Also, please pray for Ms. Genifer Chavez from Mission, TX, who will undergo gall bladder surgery tomorrow. Genifer is our son-in-law's niece (Jorge Garcia). We pray for a safe and successful surgery and a safe return for the Keck family from Houston.Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

As the nation of Israel made its way from Egypt into Canaan, they knew there were battles to be fought, and this was the first one with a city. Jericho, the oldest inhabited city in the world was a stopping place for those engaged in commerce. It was, and still is, known as an oasis city. When Nellie and I were there, we sampled some of the finest dates and juices in the area. We tried to imagine the city when its walls were still intact. Joshua was now the leader of the group. He assumed leadership once Moses died. You might remember that Joshua was one of the spies that Moses sent into the area to spy on it, and he was the only one of two who came back with faith that they could take the city and the land. The other spies said the land was inhabited by giants and they, the Jews, looked like grasshoppers next to them. His faith allowed his promotion to leader of the nation, and this was a necessary first step towards their conquering the promised land.

The battle plan was simple and straight forward. God had already said to Joshua that the city was his. The king and the soliders of Jericho were also his. The battle required faith and the action to act on that promise from God. And as we have seen throughout the Bible and even in our lives, some actions from God do not happen right away. The faith has to be strong enough to wait and work as God directs. Noah built the ark while there was not a cloud in the sky. Samson had to wait for his hair to grow back before he could get his strength back. The father of the Prodigal had to wait a long time before his son returned home. Joshua and the people of Israel had to wait for seven days before they won this battle. Think about that in real time. Seven days is a long time. We're the Next-Day Delivery with Prime generation. We take that for granted unless the package containing a birthday or anniversary gift does not arrive when it is supposed to. Think of no tracking number for the walls to come down. One just waits.

That first day, the orders are given: Line up warriors. Priests, your place is at the head of this procession. And when you hear the order you march around the city once. "That's it?" Yes. Just march around it. Second through sixth day, same order. Some warriors might have questioned it wanting instead to fight outright. Even the priests might have wondered about the whole process. Then came the seventh day. The order: "Today we march around the city seven times, this time with the priests blowing the rams' horns; when you hear the long blast of the ram's horn, you shall yell out as loud as you can and the walls will come down and the city will be yours. Charge ahead!"

The six days' march was done in complete silence; the last day was a loud shout from all people. The order was also given that everything in the city was to be destroyed except for the silver and gold, which now belonged to God and were to be placed in God's Treasury. The only people to be saved were to be the family members of Rahab, the prostitute, who had helped the Israeli spies when they scouted out the city. The walls came down and the warriors entered it and did as they were told. The family of Rahab was saved, everything else was burned down. The silver and gold that belonged to Jericho now belonged to God.

How high are the walls of the problem you might be facing? How wide are the halls; what's the thickness of those walls? A better question; how big and tough are you letting them become in your mind? And why do we let that happen when we belong to the Most High God? We all face problems, worries, obstacles, etc. But we do so with God on our side if we so invite Him. And our God is a God of victory not defeat. We face all things with faith. We face all things with the realization that victory might not come immediately and it might take seven hours, seven days, seven weeks, or seven months or even seven years. A dear friend of ours was invited to attend the Walk to Emmaus retreat at our expense, and it only took him nineteen years for him to finally say yes. So, whatever it is that you're facing, be patient and strong in your faith.

PRAYER: Loving God, make my faith strong enough to wait. Make me strong enough to act when the time is right. And once all has been done and victory is ours, may I shout loudly Your praises where all can hear that You are faithful. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Start today with sharing something God did in your favor!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio

BONUS! An article from the New York Times showed archaeological evidence to support the biblical story. Click below to read this. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/22/world/believers-score-in-battle-over-the-battle-of-jericho.html

Soon I'll be Praising Again!

Image from Pinterest.com

A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep draughts of God. I'm thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, "Will I ever make it - arrive and drink in God's presence?" I'm on a diet of tears - tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, "Where is this God of yours?" These are the things I go over and over, emptying out the pockets of my life. I was always at the head of the worshiping crowd, right out in front, Leading them all, eager to arrive and worship, Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving - celebrating, all of us, God's feast! Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God - soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God. When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you, From Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar. Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids. Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me. Then God promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night! My life is God's prayer. Sometimes I ask God, my rock-solid God, "Why did you let me down? Why am I walking around in tears, harassed by enemies?" They're out for the kill, these tormentors with their obscenities, Taunting day after day, "Where is this God of yours?" Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God - soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God. (Psalm 42 The Message)

May this be a tremendous Thursday to you dear Friend! I pray the blessings of God's word be upon us as we study His precious and powerful word. Surrender to the Lord all that is weighing you down. Share with Him the burdens and the guilt you may be carrying with you. This psalm is meant for us.

Imagine having an unquenchable thirst. And imagine having that thirst while knowing that only God can take it away. Such was the drive that David had as he wrote this psalm. He had seen often enough the deer in the fields drinking from the creeks on his property. The deer know that in the creeks and rivers of running water they can find the quench for their thirst, just as David knew that in God he could find the quenching waters for his thirst, so should we. David, like us, was spiritually dehydrated. His diet had been a diet of steady tears, with a side of constant pestering by those who delight in questioning where God is during our time of need. David knew all too well that his detractors reminded him of where he once was, the leader of worship and praise on Sunday, but by Tuesday, he's down in the dumps. That happens. And it happens to all of us. David says the solution is to turn our eyes back on God and soon we will be praising God again. And we do.

I pray that our prayer today be for all whose eyes have left God and found their way to places they shouldn't be. May we pray that they and us may again look deeply into God, quenching our thirsts in ways that only God can. God is our strength and our help. In God we find life and life eternal. The things of earth will quickly pass; but the things of God will last forever.

PRAYER: Loving God, in You we find what we need. Restore us and renew us. Make us strong to serve You always. We pray a special prayer for those who find themselves far from You. You know who they are and what they need. Work a miracle with Your power to make new, renew, refresh, and revive every area of their life. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Fix your eyes on Jesus and praise Him again!

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde

A Most Difficult Church!

Photo by Eradio Valverde of Elijah the Prophet, Israel 2018

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there. But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat." He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." Then the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. (1 Kings 19:1-15a NRSV)

Happy Day of the Camel, dear Friend! As we pray this day, please pray for the family of Rosaline S. Neuse, mother of Edith Lucas, who died on the 17th. Her funeral will be on the 22nd in Seguin at Tres Hewell Mortuary. Pray for their comfort during their grief. Prayers for Bill Keck who may soon be coming home from his hospital stay in Houston. From what we understand he is recovering well, thanks to God. Why do we pray? Because God answers prayer! Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.

Nellie and I were blessed to walk on the ground where a bloody but decisive battle took place between God and God's prophet and the 400 prophets of Baal. The photo above was taken by me and it is a statue of Elijah the Prophet of God. In his hand he holds a sword, and you can probably guess that he had to use it after the showdown in Mt. Carmel. It was a showdown long in coming. Israel's "king" had married a woman of another false faith. If you don't know her story, you've certainly heard her name, Jezebel. She was able to convince her husband to convert to her way of thinking. "Happy wife, happy life" is the saying, but in reality it meant the king's downfall, as well as the downfall of Israel. I should add that the queen had ordered the death of all of God's prophets, including Elijah, but he was protected by God and was not present when the massacre of 400 prophets occurred. To have 400 Baal prophets killed was payback. You really should read the entire showdown and how Elijah humiliated those 400 and their god. Now, this is the aftermath and Elijah gets word that the queen is very angry and wanting Elijah dead. So, like any self-respecting man, he flees for his life.

Here's one way this story can be understood. Elijah was called by God to serve Him and His people. Let's say he was named pastor of First Church Jerusalem. The chair of the official board has married a woman from a rival church, and she hates the pastor of her husband's church. Her loyalty has stayed with Rival Church. The two churches had a softball tournament and First Church humiliated Rival Church's team. The Mercy Rule was called in the third inning. The queen was outraged. She vows to write to the bishop and have Pastor Elijah removed even before annual conference. Elijah tries to hide somewhere away from the phone and the desktop where he's sure messages have been left and emails sent. He's not in the mood to read any of them, much less respond to them. Pastor Elijah is ready to quit. He tells God that he'd rather go home than put up with the pressures of this church and the ruling family. HIs prayer is simple, "I'm tired and I've had enough, Lord. Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." He lays down and sleeps under a tree and awakens to an angel telling him to "Get up and eat, for the journey he's going to take is too difficult." Elijah eats and drinks and lays down again. A second time the angel of the Lord tells him the same thing again. He eats and drinks, and in the strength of that nourishment he sets off for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. And in the setting of where God made Himself real to Moses, Pastor Elijah is looking to find answers about his future. It was the Lord who met him there and asked him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" Elijah answers with the truth; "Lord, I've done all I could. I preached Your word, held the appropriate meetings, had stewardship drives and campaigns, all while watching your people in that church mock my ministry and Your Name, Lord. Our team beat the heck out of Rival Church's softball team, and now they don't only want me to move, they want me dead! So, just take me home now Lord." God said, "Go stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." He does and a great wind passes by with strength enough to slit the mountains and breaking of the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, an earthquake came and did its damage, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then a fire came, but the Lord was not in the fire. Then there was the sound of sheer silence. It was the silence that made Elijah wrap his head in his mantle and he went outside and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then the Lord spoke. The same question as before. "What are you doing here, Elijah?" And again, Pastor Elijah replies, "I've done my best, and all they want is my head." And God says simply, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus." God spoke a word of life. Elijah's desire to be taken home to Heaven was not granted at this time. God knew Elijah had done his best and served God faithfully. He stood boldly against the evil of the prophets of Baal and against the evil queen and her equally evil husband, the king. Their stories had their ending well written and one can read those in the chapters that follow this one. We already know that God never loses, and though our adventure may get rough, God never abandons us and will see us through all that is before us.

PRAYER: Loving God, bless the life of the dear reader. Whatever it is they may be facing, help them overcome and become the people you have called them to be. May our faithfulness be fruitfulness in our obedience to You. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be bold for God today!

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde

Pre-Law Society?

Image from OregonStateUniversity.edu

Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law. The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for. But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe - Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise. In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ's family, then you are Abraham's famous "descendant," heirs according to the covenant promises. (Galatians 3:23-29 The Message)

A happy and blessed Tremendous Tuesday for you and yours, dear Reader! I pray the wonderful blessings of the Lord be yours on this day. May the time we spend in the word of God bless us richly. Spend time in prayer. If you brought home your church bulletin, take time to find your church's prayer list and pray for all those listed there. Pray especially for your pastor(s) that God would watch over and bless them in wonderful ways. If your pastor is on vacation, pray for that time to be a time of renewal for them and their families. Pray for one another, pray for yourselves.

I've shared with you how college was an eye-opening experience for me. I was among the first in our family to attend, and I had no clue of what to expect. At registration when asked how many hours I wanted to take, the blue-collar man in me eagerly said 40! Whenever I took my first exam, I did not know what a blue book was; thanks to a classmate, I hurried to the school store and bought the correct item in which to take the exam. And when I heard of clubs and societies on campus I had to think and re-think what they might be, especially when I heard about the Pre-Law Society. Hmm, I thought, is that another name for the frats? They get together and acted out what life was like before Moses received the Law? And I, being pre-ministerial, decided to stay away from such a group. Paul addresses this in today's passage. The Law came from God to keep people under the guidance of what it means to get along and work well with others. In this modern version, the author compares that to living under Greek tutors who would escort children to school and serve as their protectors from danger and distractions. It was when Christ came that we realized we were living under grace, or as the author defines, it, "in direct relationship with God." Our baptism was not just a ceremonial cleansing as it was also a dressing up of our souls like Christ with an "adult faith wardrobe," which is also Christ's very life. Christ made it easier to live under grace than under law. An example is how we differ from our Roman Catholic brethren. Their theology says that salvation is a reward of works, rather than a free gift. I had a friend in college who was studying to be a nun because of her guilt. I found that her guilt came because her priest in high school grabbed her and kissed her. She blamed herself; and the only way God would forgive her would be by taking orders as a nun. I had a Bible study with her and showed her that we are saved, made right with God, by God's undeserved love, which is grace and it comes to us for FREE.

Paul further states things unheard of in his day that in Christ we are made one with each other in faith. There are no divisions into Jew or non-Jew, slave or free, male or female. And, he further states, that in faith we are brothers and sisters, coheirs one with the other, as Abraham's and Sarah's famous descendants; who will inherit all things of God, according to the covenant promises.

In Christ Jesus, you and I are free to love each other. In Christ Jesus we are free to live our lives away from the things that previously slowly killed us or separated us from God and each other. God's power and freedom makes us unique people among all people. Remember the song, based on the scripture? "And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love; yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love." Are you showing that? Or, do grumpiness and snobbiness mar your lives? In the Name of Jesus, we can ask those to leave us! Free to love, free to serve. Free to make others like us in our love for God and for each other.

PRAYER: Loving God, free us from preconceived notions of discipleship. Free us to love, truly love all people. As we dress each day, dress us in Christ with His adult faith wardrobe. Fill our hearts with deep love so deeply, it seeps out to others. Bless us to be a blessing. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a person of grace today!

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde

And Jesus Said, "Go Hogs!"

Image from agnusday.org

Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me"—for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:26-39 NRSV)

A good and happy Monday to you dear Friend! I pray the blessings of worship, family time, and fun blessed you in extraordinary ways this weekend. I was dearly blessed by a generous gift of my four daughters and my wife of an Apple Watch. I never expected this and I am blessed! And yesterday after church, dear friends took us out to eat, so a thank you to Bil and Cam for their hospitality and love. And last night, our daughter Carli took Nellie and me out for Father's Day and we had a great supper at a nice restaurant in San Antonio. And today, the 17th of June a certain baby was born to bear my babies years later! Happy Birthday to my darling wife, Nellie! She turns 39. I got word late last night that Barbara Dorff, wife of our former bishop, James Dorff has been diagnosed with uterine cancer and will undergo surgery in Dallas on Friday, June 21st. Jim's also had a bout with cancer and so far after surgeries and treatments is cancer-free, so pray for Barbara and Jim. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

I grew up down the street from Texas A&I University in Kingsville, Texas. Our street ended right where Jones Auditorium sat. I saw many a concert in that awesome building. Near the auditorium stood the stadium where our beloved Brahmas played on Friday nights, and our beloved Javelinas played on Saturday night. I can honestly say the weekends were the highlights of my week. I especially loved the Javelina games because in those days they never seemed to lose. Each touchdown resulted in the boom of a large cannon in celebration of the score. Sadly, we left that all behind when we left Kingsville in 1965 to make the move to Houston. One of the times we returned for a visit, I remember seeing a sign leading to the dorm that said, "Jesus said, 'Go Hogs!'" I laughed because it's true and it's found in this passage.

Jesus brought life to a man who had had the fullness of life stolen from him. We do not know how it was that he came to be inhabited by several demons, but the outward appearances and his behavior showed a life void of life. He even lived among the dead in the tombs of his city. He knew he was not welcome in the city among the living because his behavior was no longer his but the behavior of a legion of demons.

One thing we do know; demons know Jesus. They fear Him and know they are no match for the Son of God. To hear His voice was an alarm of fear. Notice their shrieks, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me." They strike a deal; they feared returning to the abyss where they came from, and so asked to be able to go into another living creature. They asked to be allowed to enter the pigs in the nearby field and Jesus said it would be alright for them to enter the pigs. Here is where A&I took the liberty to have Jesus say, "Go Hogs!" And go they went. The presence of the demons was more than even a pig could handle and they rushed off the cliff and into the lake where they all drowned. The men in charge of the pigs rushed to town to let them know what had happened. The townspeople found the once demon-possessed man fully dressed and in his right mind and in the presence of Jesus. This scared the townspeople and they asked Jesus to leave. Most folks don't like talking about things like demons and to have a man who can order them around was a frightening thought. Jesus didn't argue; He just got into His boat to leave. The grateful man, now aware of Jesus' love and power, asks to go with Jesus. Jesus instead tells the man to return to his home and declare how much God had done for him among the people of his city. And from being a demon-possessed man to being a free evangelist, goes throughout the city declaring how much Jesus had done for him.

This is the nature of God and God's church. To meet people where they are and share the amazing love and power of God through Christ that can lift them up out of the muck and mire of sin, and to a new life, a life of abundance. To be set free from the bonds of habits and addictions to a new healthy, wholesome life. The stories of most of our churches should include these testimonies of how from near-death, and spiritually void lives, they have been rescued and redeemed by Jesus. The promise and purpose of the right relationship that God offers is still available now for all who seek it. There are still many outside the church who need to hear this message. It should be us who have been rescued to take that message into the streets and homes of the pre-church people and share the Good News with them. The newness of faith can be anybody's; but it falls on us to take it to them.

PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for the amazing power of Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for saving us and sharing the fullness of life with us. I pray that you would empower us with courage and strength to take the message to those still outside the church. Bring to us an awakening and revival; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share your testimony with someone today!

Blessing of love,

Eradio Valverde

Death and Immigrants

Image from freemehtodistpreacher.com

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there. Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. When Naomi heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah. Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.” But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the LORD’s hand has turned against me!” At this they wept aloud again. Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law is going back to her people and her gods. Go back with her.” But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” (Ruth 1:1-17 NRSV)

Economic necessity drives people to do things they normally wouldn't want to do, such as pack up and leave a familiar place to find that which will provide for their families. And that sometimes includes crossing national borders. In our case, the economy in Kingsville made it necessary for my father to leave there for Houston for six months where he found a good-paying job and later took us to join him there. We crossed only cultural borders and some county lines, but there was no other remedy. Such was the case among the Jews from Bethlehem. Remember that name? A certain baby was born there some years after this migration, but this Jewish man, his wife and two sons went to live in the country of Moab. It was a difficult move because the relationship between Jews and Moabites was not the best, but this man risked it along with risking the lives of his family members, to find a place where food and housing might be available. And as happens sometimes with migration, the boys found Moabite women to marry. And, as sadly happens in migrations, the dad and the sons all died, leaving the wife a widow with two widowed daughters-in-law. Naomi, the widowed mother-in-law, hears that things are better back in Judah and decides she must return to her home. She believes her daughters-in-law would be served staying in their home land. Her hope was that they could find new husbands and have children. Orpah agreed and returned to her home. Ruth decides she should stay with Naomi and wants to move to Judah. Their departure scene is awesome and Ruth's words are used in weddings to indicate the commitment of love that is needed for relationships to work; "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me." Boom! Powerful words from a strong commitment on her part to stay with a woman whose faith had blessed her. We know that this move by Ruth blessed humanity and God's plan, for she becomes the great-great grandmother of King David, and one of the mother's in Jesus' lineage. What an amazing faith huh? What would you have done in her situation?

Our faith is a journey and an adventure. We may not know what is around the next corner, but we know that God walks with us. And with God with us the adventure is always exciting! And every adventure begins with the first step of faith. And each step takes you closer to the blessings God has prepared for you. And who knows, a special blessing for people you may not even know!

PRAYER: Loving God, break down the barriers to a full faith that may be in our hearts, minds, or spirits. Open our hearts, eyes, and hands to share your love with all people. Increase our faith and our love. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share love and help with others in Christ's name!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Our t-shirt offering for the month:

Awe and Wonder Will Get Your Faith Going!

Image from um-insight.net

O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8 NRSV)

We are the generation that has seen more inventions and advances in almost all areas of our lives and yet we're the generation that seems more interested in the glaring light of our phones than we do of nature and creation. I pray this is not true for you, dear Friend. And when pressed for time for almost anything, we cry, "We don't have time!" Let me ask a personal question; when was the last time you took time to just gaze at the stars? Or, taken time to enjoy a flower, or a sunset? I've mentioned that we have evolved, for lack of a better word, from being front porch people to indoor people (thanks, air conditioning) to back decks. This psalm is still as powerful and as beautiful as that little shepherd boy wrote it from his experiences in the fields and pastures in Israel. A shepherd had plenty of down time, and no one took advantage of it like David. He appreciated time in and with nature. He was one of the last kings of Israel that never gave up the childlike wonder of all creation. Read this psalm again and think of a child shepherd who takes every opportunity that he can, to gaze into the sky and to think about Who was behind it all; God. David says, "How majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens." And then talks about babies and infants, who can spout that which can silence the foes and enemies of God Himself. As David observes the heavens, he sees them for being the work of God's fingers. These fingers made the moon and the stars, as well as made us. Such a wonderful question, "What are human beings that You are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Indeed. A question for the ages. Why would God even care about us? It does not compute, that the Creator of all things, would care about us! How do we compare to anything if we look at it honestly? David answers his own questions; "Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor." Take that in. David knows that our creation is God's crowning achievements, for we have glory and honor all over us. David continues with "You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas." And this is enough to turn the praise where it is due; to God Himself.

"O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is Your name in all the earth." This psalm is a call to action. We should be feeling the pull of God into the awe and wonder that can bless our faith and in turn our lives. The distractions of this present age drag us into busy-ness, idleness, faithlessness; God's call is to life and that in abundance. Yes, even as early as David's writing of this marvelous psalm in the wilderness, he was thinking of the awesomeness of God and would thousands of years later challenge us to the same.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your Son said that unless we were like children, we would not enter into Your kingdom. Restore to us the awe and wonder that David had and that we need. Grant us eyes of excitement at all things that You have made. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Seek the awe and wonder around you today!

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde

Prayer Update: Friends, our brother Bill Keck will undergo open heart surgery in Houston tomorrow at around 10:30 am. I just spoke with him, and he is in Pre-Op as of 7:35 am this morning of 6/13/19. Please be in prayer for Bill and Willa, that all go according to God's plan. We pray for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. Pray for one another and pray for yourselves. May the Lord bless you and keep you is our prayer.

Wisdom: Christ at Creation

Image from christianforums.org

Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: "To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live.The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth— when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world's first bits of soil. When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race. (Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31 NRSV)

Wonderful Wednesday to you dear Friend! We have word that Bill Keck's surgery will be on Thursday at Methodist Hospital in Houston at a time to be determined. Please be in prayer for Bill and Willa and their family. Our hope, faith and trust is in the Lord and we are trusting all to go well. Pray for one another; pray for yourselves. My podcast this week is entitled "Why Do We Pray?" and you can hear it at www.pimplesandwrinkles.org under Media section. I have placed a link below for you to simply click on it and it will take you directly to the website, find the podcast and click play. I pray it bless your life. Please forward it to someone who might be blessed by it as well.

As we continue to prepare for Trinity Sunday, we look at King Solomon's book and find in there a prophetic word about Jesus, who is, as the graphic above says, "Wisdom Personified." Before Christ made His appearance on earth, ancient writers, such as Solomon, knew wisdom to be female and addressed it as such. As he writes, we begin to see the characteristics of Christ in the words of Solomon. What the ancients knew to be true, that of God and His Heavenly Court present at Creation, we now see the revelation that it was Jesus Himself present and active in the creative process, with God the Father at the beginning of all things.

You and I have probably been at some amazing events that we will never forget. My first date with Nellie. Your first date. Your wedding day. My wedding day. The birth of your children, or nephews and nieces; their baptisms, their confirmations, their many graduations from Kindergarten up to university; their weddings, the birth of your grandchildren. All truly amazing things. And that, dear friends, is like seeing a molecule droplet of the wonder that Jesus experienced at the creation of all things. And if you think about the motivation of that creation, you will know it was love. The Father's Love was in the Son, and also in the Holy Spirit. All things that were created by God for us, and we for Him. The cycle is not complete until we all return back to the right relationship that God designed us for, and desires us for.

PRAYER: Awesome God, renew the joy and wonder of all creation. Renew in me the joy of knowing the love of God for us and our salvation in Christ Jesus; and the steady and loving presence of Your Holy Spirit in us. Help us to share that with others is our prayer. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a radiant blessing of creation for all to see.

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde

https://www.pimplesandwrinkles.org/media

Alert to What God is Doing Next?

Image from newlifenarrabi.wordpress.com

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us - set us right with him, make us fit for him - we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand - out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary - we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we're at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah! (Romans 5:1-11 The Message Version)

May this be a Tuesday of tremendous blessings for you and yours dear Friend!

The Apostle Paul had an exiting job to put it mildly. He worked with full knowledge of how he would die; he just didn't know when. He experienced the revelation of Christ from Jesus Himself and then tried to theologically explain all that he knew so that his readers in Rome, and later, us, would know how to better understand God and God's work on our behalf. He begins by explaining the right relationship that God desires from us. We call it salvation or we call it justified by faith. It was our "coming home" to Him that God wanted all along. And the only way to do that was to sacrifice His only begotten Son, Jesus. Paul writes that as we open the doors to our hearts and lives, we discover that God has already opened His heart to us, and we find that we stand in the "wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise." And that is just the beginning, for there is more to come. And our praise does not get drowned out by our troubles, because we are in right relationship with Jesus, troubles will develop passionate patience, and in turn patience turns into virtue, that this version calls, "the tempered steel of virtue." And that makes us "alert for whatever God will do next." It is then that the Holy Spirit (and I apologize for not catching in yesterday's devotional that auto correct changed Spirit to Sport. Someone pointed that out to me on FaceBook and I said that the Holy Spirit is a good Sport about Otto Korect). "generously pours out" from God those things that help us face whatever is next. And it is Christ who arrives to make this happen. We don't need to be ready, as He presented Himself for the sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to even attempt to get ready. Paul knew that there are many aspects of faith that we cannot do ourselves - we need the three persons of the Godhead to do these things.

The Wesleyan understanding is knowing the way that God's grace works. The first is prevenient grace, that unmerited love of God that seeks us out and invites us into the right relationship with God. Once we humble ourselves before God and repent of our sins, we are under the grace from God called justifying grace. While sinners we are deemed unacceptable. Once we surrender to God, His grace marks us as acceptable and thus justified; made right and in the right relationship with God. From that moment forward begins the sanctifying grace of God at work in our lives, guiding and blessing us, leading us onward and upward, perfecting us in love. Each day, if we are obedient, we can ask ourselves if we are closer to God than we were the day before. Our answer should be yes. This is part of the "resurrection life" that Paul addresses that says "our lives will expand and deepen by means of His resurrection life." This adds to our reasons for praise.

Eradio, this is not as complicated as it may sound. God is at work in our lives for the better, having already given us Jesus as Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit as He who builds us up and guides us. Our take away is this; we are now closer to God than we have ever been. And no matter what we are facing, God is making us stronger by His power and presence. And regardless of our troubles, our praise should be ever stronger and louder for Him.

PRAYER: Loving Father, guide us to faithfulness and fruitfulness. We thank You for all You, Jesus, and Your Holy Spirit have done for us. Strengthen us and make our voices loud in our praises to You. This we pray in faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Sing a song of praise today in your loudest voice.

Blessings of love and peace,

Eradio Valverde

The new podcast is ready: Why Do We Pray? available at

Three in One! (Trinity Sunday)

Image from scubasanmateo.com

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." (John 16:12-15 NRSV)

A good Monday to you, dear Friend. I pray this finds you well, blessed and ready for the day. I ask prayers as I prepare to preach next Sunday at Kenedy-Karnes City UMC on this very topic. Pray the Lord give me the words to bless the Church. Please continue to pray for Mr. Bill Keck, who awaits heart surgery in Houston, Texas. Prayers also for his wife, Willa, and all his family members. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

"Heaven Help Us" is a movie from 1985 which I enjoyed. It is also known as "Catholic Boys" in some parts of the country. There is a scene in the movie, where one of the boys is asked to recite his definition of the Holy Trinity. The link below takes you to the :59 seconds of that part of the movie. I played it for Nellie and told her that about sums up what I have prepared for next Sunday! Okay, that's not exactly true. Let us begin.

Jesus is a man of preparation. He prepared well for His ministry and selected those who would best serve that ministry. He wanted them to succeed even given the truth of what would await them in those efforts. And as He prepared to ascend back into Heaven, He shares these words found in this short passage. The things He has taught them were not all He knew that they needed to know for their ministry. The very first verse of this passage He truthfully tells them there were things they were not yet prepared to understand. What Jesus did know was that the arrival of the Holy Sport would bring to them the truth of those things, for He will bring those words from God the Father. His words are not from Himself. The Holy Spirit shares that which He hears. And these things are the things to come.

This passage explains how the Godhead works. There is the Father. There is the Son. There is the Holy Spirit. Three-in-one; all one God. Each has a different role and responsibility in the order of all things. We see the Godhead mentioned throughout the Bible beginning on page one, in Genesis 1, and then running throughout the Bible. The Father is also the Creator. Present with Him was the Son, who is Jesus. Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. And present as well was the Holy Spirit, Who we know to be our comforter and guide. Yesterday we celebrated the arrival of the Holy Spirit. May we today invite Him into our hearts to guide and bless us for Christ's service.

PRAYER: Loving Father, bless our understanding of You in ways that allow us to be faithful and fruitful. May we be open to Your leading is our prayer. We pray in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be filled with the Holy Spirit in ways that bless God.

Blessings of Love,

Eradio Valverde

The Tower for the Name

Image from alittlepersepctive.com

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:1-9 NRSV)

Good morning, dear Friend! I pray this finds you and yours doing well. As we pray this morning, please include Laura Oneal Pesek in your prayers. Today she underwent a six-plus hour surgery in San Antonio. Laura is from our church in Gonzales. Also, from Gonzales, Crystol Callendar had a brain tumor removed this past weekend. Prayers that the Lord bring a speedy healing and recovery to them. Please pray for one another; pray for yourselves.

Have you ever found yourself in a place that did not speak your language? If you found yourself the only English speaker and then you heard someone speak in English, what was your reaction? It was probably one of excitement and joy because finally at long last you were among those who spoke your language, correct? I've shared how some years ago at a General Conference I was waiting on an elevator and I saw the badge of a delegate from Czechoslovakia and so I approached him and said, "Yak Se Mas, naska rano (Probably spelling it wrong!)" and that was enough for this man to get excited and reply, "Dobré " and a string of other words that were like Greek to me. He hugged me as I tried to explain that I only knew what he had heard, but he was ecstatic for having heard a greeting in his native tongue. He opened his briefcase and handed me a lot of Gospel tracts in Czech that he wanted me to give to any Czech speaking people I might know.

Imagine the reverse. You wake up and you think you're saying good morning to your spouse or kids and they look at you like you're speaking gibberish. They answer back and now they're the ones speaking gibberish. Or, like the couple from Arkansas that adopted a Russian baby who went to the University of Arkansas to speak to a Russian professor. They were told that Russian was not one of the languages taught there. "What's the hurry in finding a Russian speaker?" they asked. "Mister, my wife and I adopted this little Russian baby and before too long he's gonna start speaking Russian and we want to be ready when he does!"

Language is important. It allows for ideas and thoughts to be shared. It's vital in all relationships, and it's important in teams. Today's passage concerns a team who had wandered eastward and who decided to settle in a plain in Shinar (not Shiner so don't think about beer!). This was during the time when the whole world had one language and a common speech. They had a brilliant idea; build a city, complete with a tower with a revolving restaurant that overlooked their city (Okay, I'm thinking about San Antonio!). They also gave their intent away when they said, this tower "will reach to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves..." The implication is manifold here. Tents were the accustomed dwelling places for humans. The cities were built by those who were rebellious to God. And to build a fortified city along with a tower was to assume a posture of warfare with Heaven. Matthew Henry's commentary says that true believers would have encouraged each other to good works and things of charity; these men encouraged each other to combative things against God (sound familiar?). This gets God's attention, as does our doing charitable works, but this concerns God about those who want things their way, and "their way" is usually against God. God states, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." The solution was to confuse their language "so they will not understand each other." So, off they went, seeking those who spoke like them, to find that corner in the world where they might live. The place was called Babel because it was there the "Lord confused the language of the whole world."

This coming Sunday we will be celebrating the gift of tongues falling on the Church with the purpose of each person knowing in their own language "the mighty works of God." You and I have the chance to use our language for the good; to motivate each other to deeper faith and charitable works for the good of others.

PRAYER: GOD of one language, the language of unconditional love, speak to our hearts in ways that ignite our desire to share more, do more, and be more; all for You. Bless those for whom we are praying and bless them. We pray for our sisters who underwent surgeries and ask they be healed quickly. Bless this dear reader and his or her needs. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Speak the language of love today!

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde

A Day of Power! Whatever It Takes!

Image from newlifehugo.org

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine." Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ (Acts 2:1-21 NRSV)

May the favor of the Lord be yours today, dear Friend! May this time spent with God's word bless you and prepare you for today and all days.

This coming Sunday many call the birthday of the Church, for on it God acted in a mighty way to empower the Church for its witness and work. It happened in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, which commemorated the 50 Days after Moses received the Law from God. It was a very powerful Jewish holiday to remember all God had done in freeing them from slavery then blessing them with the Law. Pilgrims from all over the known world would come, if they could afford it, to celebrate this important day. It was a day of celebration and remembrance. With a huge crowd in the city, the stage was set for what came next.

The disciples were still in the Upper Room in prayer. Still bewildered about all that had happened to Jesus, they really didn't know what to do, except to be faithful to the words that Jesus said for them to wait in Jerusalem. Then suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from Heaven and filled up the Upper Room. They saw "tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them." Twelve disciples, representative of the twelve tribes, all now having tongues of fire resting on them. What happened next was a miracle. Each of the twelve "began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." It is very interesting to note that "God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven" were present and each of them heard in their own language, hearing the wonders of God being declared. This was true among Jews and converts to Judaism. They could not understand what this could possibly mean. Some tried to blame liquor as the cause of this unexplainable act, to which Peter addresses them responding with scripture that on the last days God would pour out His Spirit on all people (From the OT book of Joel). The prophet had said that sons and daughters would prophesy, young men would see visions, and old men would dream dreams. He also said how God's Spirit would be poured out in those days (and this is the day!) and God would show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below; "blood and fire and billows of smoke." Even what Jesus had said to the twelve is from the Old Testament prophet, "The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood and fire and billows of smoke." This is "before the coming of the of the great and glorious day of the Lord." And the great statement, that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

This was a day of power. God demonstrating in an almost reversal of Babel, that all tongues/languages could be used to speak of His Glory and Grace. One lady during an explanation of this declared, "This is God saying, 'Whatever it takes...'" to spread God's love and power to all people. The Pentecost event serves as a model and inspiration for the Church and for the people (us) that make up the church. We are called to reach all people in whatever manner relates to them. What language do the pre-church people speak or understand? How can the Church learn the languages in ways that instruct and invite? And, how can we show the contagious excitement about God and His work in our midst? And how can we begin to tell the stories of what God has done in our lives? When we do, then the great and glorious day of the Lord will come.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as Sunday approaches, be with us in ways that prepare us to celebrate the coming of Your Holy Spirit. May He bless us to faithfulness and fruitfulness. Teach us the languages of others so that we can inspire and invite them to our faith. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Sing praise to the Lord in languages that bless others.

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde