The Wayward Child

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1 "When Israel was only a child, I loved him. I called out, 'My son!' - called him out of Egypt. 2 But when others called him, he ran off and left me. He worshiped the popular sex gods, he played at religion with toy gods. 3 Still, I stuck with him. I led Ephraim. I rescued him from human bondage, But he never acknowledged my help, 4 never admitted that I was the one pulling his wagon, That I lifted him, like a baby, to my cheek, that I bent down to feed him. 5 Now he wants to go back to Egypt or go over to Assyria -anything but return to me! 6 That's why his cities are unsafe - the murder rate skyrockets and every plan to improve things falls to pieces. 7 My people are hell-bent on leaving me. They pray to god Baal for help. He doesn't lift a finger to help them. 8 But how can I give up on you, Ephraim? How can I turn you loose, Israel? How can I leave you to be ruined like Admah, devastated like luckless Zeboim? I can't bear to even think such thoughts. My insides churn in protest. 9 And so I'm not going to act on my anger. I'm not going to destroy Ephraim. And why? Because I am God and not a human. I'm The Holy One and I'm here - in your very midst. 10 "The people will end up following God. I will roar like a lion - Oh, how I'll roar! My frightened children will come running from the west. 11 Like frightened birds they'll come from Egypt, from Assyria like scared doves. I'll move them back into their homes." God's Word! Soul-Destroying Lies (Hosea 11:1-11 The Message)

Hear Here: http://bit.ly/2Yx1FiL

A wonderful Wednesday is ours when we live it in the Lord and expect His blessings and love. May it be so for you and yours is my prayer for you, dear Friend! As we pray today, please pray for the family of Peggy Munson, who died yesterday. Her funeral will be Saturday at FUMC Gonzales at 11 a.m. May God's comfort be with all who loved her and who will miss her. Please pray for one another, and please pray for yourselves.

The story of the wayward wife becomes the story of a wayward son. God has the love of a faithful, forgiving father who faces the frustration of a child who wants to live his life his way, and to make decisions that go against that father. God was the father who called his son out of slavery in Egypt and led him to a new home. And once there, that child chose to run away after "popular sex gods" and played with "toy gods." Yet, God was faithful. The father never received any thanks for all that God did for his child. This version uses good imagery, that the child did not thank his father for freedom nor for being the one who "pulled his wagon." God describes his actions which are like lifting his child, kissing his cheek, and bending down to feed him. And in spite of those loving actions, the child wants to return back to slavery! It matters not if it's Egypt or Assyria, both places represent an imprisonment and a separation away from God. The child prefers to live in a place where the murder rate is high and all plans for improvement amount to nothing. The child prefers any place other than the presence of God. And they prefer to seek help from a nonexistent god. Yet, in spite of these actions, God's love continues faithful and firm. The more I write about this the more I am reminded of the way I live and the history of my personal faith. Honestly, your story may mirror mine or that of Israel. John Newton put it famously in a hymn about his own life and faith struggle; "that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see." Whew! Yup, I raise my hand as one who has lived that, but rejoice and thank God for His amazing grace. An undeserved love that never gives up on me or you; and we long for the day when "My frightened children will come running from the west;" all welcome back to their home.

An open front door to our home is always ours. Never locked, and never closed. Inside we can await the strong, loving embrace of God when we choose to return home. The paths we have tried have led us nowhere. The path back home is the only one that leads to life. We may have seen some incredible sights, smelled some wondrous things, but the sights, smells and love of home can not be matched by anything or any place on earth. Jesus told the story of the wayward son for a reason; God wants you and me back always.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your never-ending love and concern for me and for this dear reader; may we be smart and brave enough to follow that which brings us home. There is no place like home. And home is where I belong. In Jesus' strong name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a loving brother or sister to a wayward child you know; lead them back home with love today!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

The New Resurrection Life!

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1 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8 But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all! (Colossians 3:1-11 NRSV)

Hear Here: May this be a Tremendous Tuesday for you and yours, dear Friend!

In 1999, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, I was the guest speaker to a two weekend event for 13,000 kids. The event was so huge that they split it between two weekends. As the speaker I had the choice of the event flying me home after the first event, or to stay the week until the following weekend. I chose to go home. I had enough airline mlles that for my second weekend I flew our daughter Saraí down from Troy, NY, where she was in school at RPI. It was an event that blessed my life. One church member said that I should go every weekend because he could tell the difference in my preaching because I had preached to those kids. The music was fantastic led by Mr. James Ward, a pianist and vocalist, and worship leader at his home church in Philadelphia, who rocked the crowd by having brought in select musicians, all masters of their trade. The guitarist, before my first introduction asked where I was from. "Texas." "Texas? Okay, some ZZ Top!" And sure enough I came out to the music of that lil ole band from Texas. The Holy Spirit was in that crowd and many made decisions for the Lord. The thing that stayed with me was a song that James had written that goes with this passage, "New Resurrection LIfe." Inspired by this passage it speaks of how we should live if truly we "have been raised with Christ." Paul lays it out; our mind should be set on the things from above, visualizing Christ at the right hand of God; holy, pure, spiritual things that bless our walk here on the earth. We have died to our old nature and the new nature is all resurrection! Crucified with us should have been the old things, and Paul lists them here: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (there's that word again!), which Paul likens to idolatry. Those who have not put those things to death are making God mad, and God will return to deal with those who live by such things. Paul adds to the list: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from our mouths. We should no longer lie to each other, because our old self has been stripped from us as have the old practices. Our new covering is the renewed life in Christ which sparkles with the image of Jesus all over it. That new being reflects neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free; "Christ is all and in all."

It all begins with our surrender to Jesus; we turn over to Him our sins, confess our repentance (turning away from those sins) and our wllingness to be led by His Holy Spirit in a new way. We will be like Christ Jesus and we will be a blessing to God's Kingdom.

PRAYER: Loving God, I surrender to You my sins and my old self. Make me new. Remove the old, crucify the evil in me, and guide me to a way of purity and peace. This I ask in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a beacon of light and love as you sparkle Christ in your life!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Hear "New Resurrection Life" by James Ward here:

True Riches

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Hear Here: 13 Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." 14 But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" 15 And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." 16 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, "What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' 18 Then he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20 But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God." (Luke 12:13-21 NRSV)

A marvelous Monday be yours, dear Friend! Praying that the weekend blessed you with time in worship, time with loved ones, and time to renew and refresh. As we start this week may it be rooted in Jesus and His refreshing strength that is ours as we pray and worship Him. Lift up a prayer of thanksgiving for the arrival of Binni Beth Davis, born early Saturday morning to Blaine and Taylor Davis, of Gonzales, Texas. Welcome to our world, Binni! May the Lord bless you and your family is our prayer. Please pray for the family of Shirley Spoon, whom we laid to rest on Saturday morning. Shirley was a longtime member of FUMC, played the piano and sang in our church. She died unexpectedly in Lewisville, TX. May God's comfort be with her loved ones. Remember to pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

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"I went from deeply in debt to having more money than I know what to do with!" Such is the message of a lot of publications, YouTube videos, Facebook ads, and other social media marketing campaigns. The message is that you too could be rich, if you buy into our training. After all, who can forget the motto of the 80s and 90s, "You can never be too skinny nor too rich!" which if unspoken, is still a reality for many. May i remind us that Jesus spoke more on money and possessions than He did on prayer. You wonder why? Take a look at today's story from Luke.

This was not the first time Jesus was asked to judge between parties. His presence and power made people respect Him and to view Him as they might have an Old Testament judge. It's a family dispute about money. "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." No one likes to get involved in family disagreements not even armed police officers! Jesus takes the question to speak on a deeper matter, greed. "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." This was the true issue at hand, the greed of the sibling against the brother keeping the inheritance and not dividing as he should. Jesus follows this with a parable; A rich man had land that produced an abundant crop, more than he dreamed. With this bounty came a problem; no place to store the crop. The man decides to tear down his old barns and build up new larger ones, where he could store the crops. And at the end, a clever declaration; "And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry." The man thought he was now free from worry, but Jesus slams this with the reality of life; "You fool! This very night your life is beind demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" No one knows how long or short our life may be. The true riches that ultimately matter are the spiritual ones we store in Heaven. Jesus says, "Be rich toward God; not the thigns of this world."

A dear friend when in high school, told his cousin about the importance of knowing and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. The young man laughed and said religion was for old ladies, got into his car and drove off. That was his last drive for he crashed and was killed. The pain in my friend's heart is still real after all these years. He tried, but his cousin declined. He had earlier said that he had all his young years to live and have fun, and when he was old he might take Jesus seriously. That day never came. No one is guaranteed a long life or a later day when we can decide if we want Jesus as Lord or Savior in our old age. Years spent trying to get rich here, are years lost in the better, richer things of the Lord.

There is nothing wrong with being rich, but when the riches become our gods or idols, then we are in danger of losing the true riches that are ours in Christ Jesus. I saw a graphic right now that said, "Some people are so poor all they have is money." Our choice is to be rich in the things that count: love, joy, peace, family, friends, a walk with Christ, etc. etc. In my ministry I have been blessed to know incredibly rich people in the things that matter, and these riches are not the kind you try to hide in safes, our secret places or under lock and key - these reside in the heart and spirit.

PRAYER: Loving God, as we begin the week, most of us will work for that which provides for us and our families, yet remind us of the things that provide the greater good, knowledge of You and Your love. Bless us to be a blessing; this we pray in Christ Jesus, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a true bank teller that tells others about where the true riches can be found.

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

God Doesn't Stay Angry

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1 Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. 2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. 3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger. 4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us. 5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? 6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you? 7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. 8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. 9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. 12 The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. 13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps. (Psalm 85 NRSV)

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Yesterday's devotional from Hosea spoke of the anger God had towards Israel's unfaithfulness and thus the marriage of Hosea to the wayward Gomer. Such an unthinkable act was based on the constant wayward behavior of Israel towards other gods. The picture painted towards the end of God's favor towards His people showed a world full of darkness and gloom. The three children of that marriage reflected the anger on God's part. Today's psalm comes as a notice that God does not stay angry, especially when God sees the repentance of His people take positive steps towards faithfulness. The psalmist rejoices the favor of God upon His people once again. Fortunes and Forgiveness were showered upon the people, and the cry now is for salvation to be restored to the land. The psalmist knows to cry out to God with reminders of His steadfast love, asking God to bring His glory back to the land. Verse 10 rings true: "Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet' righteousness and peace will kiss each other." A wonderful picture of what happens when God's kingdom comes on the earth as we pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." God's steadfast love and faithfulness to us come together when God is present, and righteousness on our part and the peace that comes with it brings us the complete blessing.

What part of your life lacks the presence, peace, and power of God? Imagine the color and imagery of the above picture and just begin either erasing or painting certain areas with red, and you will begin to see that area of your life that you have not yet turned over to God. With God present in our lives, there is light and a brilliance that seems to scream joy and life; anything else whimpers the dying voice of unrighteousness and turmoil. That awesomeness of God is just an ask away.

PRAYER: Awesome God, pour out of every area of life that does not yet belong to You, and pour in those areas Your power, peace, and love. Let me serve You in great ways today and all days, This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bring brillance into someone's life today, use words if necessary.

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

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The Sermon Family

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2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, "Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord." 3 So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 And the Lord said to him, "Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." 6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, "Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. 7 But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen." 8 When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. 9 Then the Lord said, "Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God." 10 Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, "You are not my people," it shall be said to them, "Children of the living God." (Hosea 1:2-10 NRSV)

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The Bible is such an honest book that sometimes it makes you blush. And this passage makes one blush, but it is rooted in truth and in life. We can try to hide things from God, but God doesn't hide things from us, especially if we're the ones who are in the wrong. Here's the story: Hosea, whose name means "salvation," is called to be God's prophet. Hosea has been appointed to First Jerusalem. I'm going to guess he's fresh out of seminary and he's still single. The pulpit committee is eager to find him a bride among the church's finest daughters, and worship services see an increase in families from outside the church with marriage age daughters. Hmm. Hosea gets a lot of invitations to go and have supper at people's homes, all of which had somehow nieces and cousins who were looking for a nice man. But God had other ideas about Hosea's marriage. Here's the blushing part; God wants Hosea to marry a woman of ill repute, and God wanted Hosea and his bride to have children, whose names would mean something to the unfaithfulness of Israel. The woman he married was named Gomer, whose name means "complete." They had two children, a son named for the upcoming judgement of loss on the battlefield, and the daughter whose name carried the message that God would no longer have pity nor forgiveness from Israel. Gomer later had another son whose name meant that Israel was no longer the people of God, and God was no longer their God. However, as God continues speaking He does say that the children of Israel would be innumerable like the sand of the sea, and would one day be called "Children of the living God."

Besides blushing there is sadness in this reality. One can only imagine the sadness God felt from the unfaithfulness of His people. You who are parents know the sadness that comes from a failure of a child; worse the sadness when a child disowns the parent. If we multiply that by the number of Israelites led astray by their kings, you can see the sadness that grew to anger in God's heart. God chose Hosea to live out his life as a sermon complete with a sermon family. We may not be able to completely comprehend such an action, but we know that God wanted not only the attention of Israel but their affection and devotion. You and I are in that situation as well on a personal level; we love God's affection, but we should show our affection and appreciation to God in return. God expects our faithfulness.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, guide me to faithful obedience. Let my life be a positive sermon for You. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! May your name today be Faithful Servant!

Blessings of Love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Rooted in Christ!

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6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:6-15 NIV)

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A grand and glorious Tuesday to you and yours, dear Friend! As I have been preparing for Sunday, I now know there is a second answer to Why do we pray? We pray because God answers prayer. The realization I just had is that we pray because God called on us first. So, we think we can call on God, but if we are in Christ, God has called on us first thing this morning. Your first glimpse of the day was God saying Good Morning! If we grunted with a "DO I HAVE TO?" then that was our first prayer of the day. Wouldn't a greater prayer be THANK YOU LORD FOR THIS NEW DAY! That's a great foundational prayer.

Have you ever had to be reminded by someone in authority of who you are and how you should know better? Me? Several times by my Dad usually. And in later years not as much, but once in my junior college days did get called to the Dean's office for pranks being played in the dorm. This is the Apostle Paul reminding the people of Colossae through his letter with his admonishments for them, and how they should know better. The church there in Colossae had been infiltrated by false teaches and prophets with teachings and instructions that were not of Christ Jesus. The passage for today is Paul's summary of his faith, a sermon as it were, of where he stood in understanding his walk with Jesus. Paul came to understand that a life lived in Jesus is the best way to live. A daily walk with Jesus begins best with a deliberate prayer life that says, and believes, we have received Jesus as Lord, we have then begun to take each step in Him. We're talking possessing an attitude and perspective that affirms we belong to Christ and in Him we have our being. And a huge part of that being is our being thankful to God. That alone should be enough to keep us soaring above what the world offers; Paul says to rise above "human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world. For in Christ Jesus we have the power of God to lift us. After all, Christ came so that you and I could have life and that in abudance. (John 10:10). Christ is the head over all things, meaning He has the power and authority; and because of HIs power and sacrifice, we have been led out of sin and death and into the fullness of life. The physical symbol of the ancient covenant which was circumcision, Paul says is ours spiritually because of Jesus. Our baptism allowed for our dying and burial to self, and raised a new creation in our faith. Our sins are gone, and new life is ours. All thanks to the cross.

"My chains (sins) are gone; I've been set free; My God, my Savior has ransomed me, And like a flood His mercy reigns, Unending love, Amazing Grace." These came to mind as I wrote the above lines, thanks to Chris Tomlin, which he wrote to be inserted into the original awesome hymn of "Amazing Grace."

To hear/see the video "Amazing Grace/My Chains Are Gone" by Chris Tomlin click here

Dear friend, this is your song and your battle cry; warriors who know only victory march ever onward to the next battle confident in the King who leads us faithfully to final victory. I pray that whatever battle you may be facing, you will see victory soon.

PRAYER: Awesome Father, bless us as we march onward behind You. Thank You for the reminder from Your servant Paul of who we are, and what is ours. I pray for those who have not yet claimed this, to do so now and be amazingly blessed. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Sing a song of victory today!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Ask. Seek. Knock. The Secrets of Prayer?

Hear Here: http://bit.ly/30O6V3i One of the best workbooks on prayer is by Dr. Maxie Dunnam, and sells for $9.99 available here:

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1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:1-13 NIV)

May this be a marvelous Monday for you and yours. Time to get renewed and refreshed in the Lord! I pray that this be part of that renewal for you.

This is the second Gospel that carries Jesus' prayer we call The Lord's Prayer. Set in a different context than Matthew's, this one has the disciples asking to be taught how to pray. Who taught you how to pray? Or, has no one taught you? One of the greatest compliments I ever got as a person, pastor and parent, was our oldest granddaughter writing that I was the one who taught her how to pray. Later, her mom said that when she prayed at night, she reminded her of me. I was taught by my grandmother, Petra, whom I called Momo. She was a woman of prayer, as were my mother and father, but when I needed a quick lesson in prayer, it was she who was there. My dog, who loved to chase cars, tried catching a Coca-Cola truck and the truck won. It was a futile prayer because all I could pray was, "Please don't let my dog die!", but it blessed the little boy as he cried.

The disciples watched Jesus as He prayed, and one or two of them, had been with John the Baptist first and had seen John teach his disciples how to pray. They had seen the importance of prayer, and they also saw the results of prayer, so they asked Jesus to be taught how to pray.

The prayer is very similar to the one from Matthew. Jesus teaches it the same way: God as Father, holy is His name; King of a kingdom that is coming here on the earth, Who provides the basic needs for all who pray. God as the One Who can forgive sins, ours as we ask, but who also have the same responsibility to forgive those who sin against us. And God has the power to lead us away from temptation. The prayer ends there, but the lesson is clear as shared above. The illustrations are important as Jesus shares; we all have friends among which, some of them come to ask something of us. If one asks us to share bread for visiting family from out-of-town, even at an odd hour, would we not help them? Especially if we know that friend to be persistent, the type who won't leave until they get what they want. Then the "secret" to prayer: "Ask and it will be given to you." "Seek and you will find." "Knock and the door will be opened to you." Be persistent in prayer, pray often, never give up, always trust God! Jesus then concludes with the example of a loving parent who would only give good gifts to their children. God, the ultimate awesome parent, will "give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him."

Prayer was one of Jesus' Holy Habits. The other was worship. I don't know what sort of habits you may have, but I will venture to say that none would compare to the blessings and benefits of prayer and worship. Prayer is the lifeblood of the Christian's life, It's like a direct hit of fresh oxygen when winded, a jolt of energy for the tired, and a rush of hope for the discouraged. Prayer is a combination of worship and praise. It's the direct line to the One who can change our perspective on things. The famous line, "I used to pray that God would change my situation; now I pray that God might change me."

The best lesson on prayer is simply to just pray! Prayer is just talking to God and then being open to listen to what God has to say to us. Let's get started!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as I pray, teach me to be a person who worships, who praises, and who learns from You. I need this lifeblood and I want to lift up all who need Your blessings right now. May this become a holy habit of mine. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Become a person of prayer who seeks to re-capture the power of prayer!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Living with a Thorn?

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6 But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, 7 even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9 but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:6-10 NRSV)

It's good to keep learning. And that easily comes from reading, listening, watching. Today, as I read further into N. T. Wright's Paul book, he shared something that made me weep as I tried to share it with Nellie. In passing, Dr. Wright mentions that perhaps, Paul's "thorn in the flesh" could have been a recurring nightmare of his having been present, and approving, of the murder of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. I can't explain why that as I drove, I became emotional as I shared that awesome, but burdensome thought; that he, now an evangelist of Christ as Messiah and Savior, once approved of the stoning death of a believer like he was now. (Here is where you can get a copy of Dr. N. T. Wright's Paul: An Autobiography : ) This story is found in Acts 7:58-8:1:

58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he died. 8:1 And Saul approved of their killing him.

What a nightmare to have. Paul said, "YES!" at that time to this murder, and received from that horrible event, the inspiration to become the one who would arrest and drag other Christian believers to their deaths. We find these verses in Chapter 8:

3 But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison. 4 Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word.

I think you and I would have trouble sleeping from this. Another point Wright makes is that as Paul shares this, he says that he prayed three times to the Lord, and while expecting this to be another affirmation of the power of prayer, Paul says, each time God's answer was NO.

What keeps you awake at night? Are you living with a "thorn" of some sort that makes you lose sleep? If so, we need to turn it over to God (again and again, if necessary) so that the peace of our having been forgiven is truly ours. Our human nature makes true what many say, "God is good to forgive; we're not so ready to forgive ourselves..." And that is true. Our inability to true receive God's forgiveness keeps us up and worried. But hear what we hear every time we celebrate Holy Communion in our churches, "Hear the Good News! Christ died for us while we were still sinners. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!" And we repeat back, "In the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven. Glory to God, amen." Receive that! Be blessed.

PRAYER: Loving God, while we do not yet know what was the thorn that trouble Your servant Paul, You do know the one that troubles us. If it be Thy will, remove it from this dear reader and grant them peace. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Be a forgiven soul today that shares that with others!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Are You an Olive Tree?

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1 Why do you brag of evil, "Big Man"? God's mercy carries the day. 2 You scheme catastrophe; your tongue cuts razor-sharp, artisan in lies.3 You love evil more than good, you call black white. 4 You love malicious gossip, you foul-mouth. 5 God will tear you limb from limb, sweep you up and throw you out, Pull you up by the roots from the land of life. 6 Good people will watch and worship. They'll laugh in relief: 7 "Big Man bet on the wrong horse, trusted in big money, made his living from catastrophe." 8 And I'm an olive tree, growing green in God's house. I trusted in the generous mercy of God then and now. 9 I thank you always that you went into action. And I'll stay right here, your good name my hope, in company with your faithful friends. (Psalm 52 The Message)

Happy Thursday to you, dear Friend! I pray it is a great day filled with blessings and opportunities to spread God's love with those you meet. I don't have a report on Baby Sophia's surgery, but I'm trusting it went well. Pray anyway for her and her family. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

The messages this week have centered on people who have made a shift from others-centered to self-centered. Some may have never made the shift from self-centered outward. I know most babies learn the word "mine" quite quickly and some never let it go. I pray that's not true for you dear readers! Surrendering your life to Jesus was to make an investment in service. True love is charity in action, with an urgency that is never satisfied; have I done enough? God desired that from all of His people Israel, but depending on their prophets, kings, servants, etc., they followed the most attractive and renounced the most sacred. As the psalmist knew, the olive tree was a symbol of what Israel under God stood for; but instead of being an olive tree, they became like tumbleweeds; dry, unrooted, and easily blown here and there by the wind. An olive tree in the house of the Lord has life; a tumbleweed had a life and now is like the dead who cannot even rest in a grave. The illusion that attracted these was the idea of being like this version calls, "Big Man," when it was an illusion. There is nothing big in a selfish death. The olive tree dies to self and in Christ so that they can serve God.

Our call is to love good and to love God. With that love we also love the people of God and seek to do the best we can to serve them all.

PRAYER: Loving God, help and heal our hearts. May we be like the olive tree in Your house, where You provide the nutrients, shade and shelter and all needed to truly thrive. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share life with someone today with your kind words of life affirmation.

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

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The Fruit's About to Spoil!

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1 My Master God showed me this vision: A bowl of fresh fruit. 2 He said, "What do you see, Amos?" I said, "A bowl of fresh, ripe fruit." God said, "Right. So, I'm calling it quits with my people Israel. I'm no longer acting as if everything is just fine." 3 "The royal singers will wail when it happens." My Master God said so. "Corpses will be strewn here, there, and everywhere. Hush!" 4 Listen to this, you who walk all over the weak, you who treat poor people as less than nothing, 5 Who say, "When's my next paycheck coming so I can go out and live it up? How long till the weekend when I can go out and have a good time?" Who give little and take much, and never do an honest day's work. 6 You exploit the poor, using them - and then, when they're used up, you discard them. 7 God swears against the arrogance of Jacob: "I'm keeping track of their every last sin." 8 God's oath will shake earth's foundations, dissolve the whole world into tears. God's oath will sweep in like a river that rises, flooding houses and lands, And then recedes, leaving behind a sea of mud. 9 "On Judgment Day, watch out!" These are the words of God, my Master. "I'll turn off the sun at noon. In the middle of the day the earth will go black. 10 I'll turn your parties into funerals and make every song you sing a dirge. Everyone will walk around in rags, with sunken eyes and bald heads. Think of the worst that could happen - your only son, say, murdered. That's a hint of Judgment Day - that and much more.11 "Oh yes, Judgment Day is coming!" These are the words of my Master God. "I'll send a famine through the whole country. It won't be food or water that's lacking, but my Word. 12 People will drift from one end of the country to the other, roam to the north, wander to the east. They'll go anywhere, listen to anyone, hoping to hear God's Word - but they won't hear it. (Amos 8:1-12 The Message)

May the anointing hand of the Lord Jesus be upon you and yours on this day, dear Friend! That's my prayer and there's nothing you can do about that! Please remember that today is Baby Sophia's heart surgery. Please pray for the Lord to bring healing to her body and comfort and peace to her family. Pray for a safe and healthy recovery time. Pray for one another, pray for yourselves.

A noted UM preacher from the northern part of our state once spoke at a special celebratory event. He was pastor of a very large downtown church and was known for his preaching ability. He was known for preaching without notes. And after he was introduced he took a dig at those preachers whom he said hadn't written a fresh sermon in so long that if their sermons fell to the floor, they were shatter into a million pieces, which I took to mean these pastors once chiseled their sermons onto stone tablets. Years later as I had finished a meeting with the leadership of a small church in my district, a sweet lady took me aside, and said, "Please don't send us a preacher that preaches out of the box." I made a quizzical face and she said, "You know, the ones who ordered pre-written sermons that come in a box and all they do is take them out on Sunday and read them." Gulp. She was right. There are sermon services to which one can subscribe, but most pastors do so in the most secretive way possible.

Not so the prophets. Being God's mouthpieces, they preached what God placed on their hearts through visions, conversations, dreams, or whatever manner God chose to make His will known. One can only imagine the tremendous weight that came with God's prophetic word, which was usually a very serious one. Prophets were not people pleasers; they were God-pleasers. They preached truth not ear-ticklers. And here we have the sermon, along with illustration, that God wants Amos to preach.

A bowl of fruit was placed before Amos as a symbol of all that God had provided for His people Israel. And it was ripe fruit meaning that was the last crop they would see as a gift from God. God was fed up. Let that sink in. Have you ever done something that made your mom or dad get fed up with you? Or, should I ask, what was the last thing you did to frustrate them? We are talking major infractions! I thank God that my Mom and Dad never reached that point except one time. I was in my last year of college, and my Dad did not approve of long hair, and guess what? I had long hair. Dad was right, I did not look good with long hair. But when push came to shove, I left the home. Dad was yelling; as was I. Mom was crying, as was my grandmother. Not a pretty scene. I had a plan. Sort of. I would jump in my old Ford and pray that it would take me back to the dorm before nightfall. The car ran great, the AC froze me out, but once I turned on the headlights, they would choose when to turn off. And it was usually on a curve of a two-lane highway! Israel had pushed God past His limits. And we're talking the God of infinity. I believe we don't fully understand God and the things of God because we have finite minds with beginnings and ends; we can't understand the truth of God having always been, and who will always will be. We can't imagine the size of Heaven and for that matter, the New Earth, that can fully accommodate all the righteous people since the beginning of time. But, like Israel, we sometimes make decisions made thinking we know better than God, and off we go. We run the risk of frustrating God. I do not want to hear God say about me, "I'm calling it quits with Eradio. I'm no longer acting as if everything is just fine." Gulp again.

Here is what God found Israel found wrong in Israel's behavior. They walked all over the weak. When people were down, Israel just stepped on them. They treated poor people as less than nothing. Someone just this afternoon on a program I was watching asked, "How are we (he's way younger than me!) going to justify 2019 to our grandkids? What will say about the homeless? "We just walked past them as quickly as we could without making eye contact. Sometimes, we did open our wallets and said,'Sorry, all I have is 20s.' and prayed these were not the type of homeless that would chase you." They cared more about paydays and the days following when the paycheck could be spent; ignoring the main purpose of our work and the mission of our careers. God was, and is, "keeping track of every last sin."

God's promise to us is that we will have to be accountable to Him for how we lived. We promised to be faithful and fruitful; as we know that God has been faithful to us. While we're on the right path with God, we are blessed; the option is to wander around aimlessly, knowing we are destined for destruction if we wander away from God.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, bless me as I pray. I am aware of my past sins especially the fresh ones of this morning and afternoon. Guide me always to stay on Your path. Let me be the one who blesses You by the good I do for others. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a beacon of hope for others!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Christ! No More, No less!

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15 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. 16 For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels - everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. 17 He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. 18 And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. 19 So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. 20 Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe - people and things, animals and atoms - get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross. 21 You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. 22 But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. 23 You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message - just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message. 24 I want you to know how glad I am that it's me sitting here in this jail and not you. There's a lot of suffering to be entered into in this world - the kind of suffering Christ takes on. I welcome the chance to take my share in the church's part of that suffering. 25 When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God's way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth. 26 This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. 27 God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. 28 We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. (Colossians 1:15-28 The Message)

A blessed Tuesday for you and yours, dear Friend! May the blessings of the Lord shower you with joy and hope! Jesus is the main course for life! And I pray this be a double portion of Him for all you face today and all this week.

If you've ever seen Jesus at work in your life, you have seen God. When we surrendered our lives to Him, we surrendered ourselves to God. As we grow to fully understand Jesus and His purpose, we realize what God intended in everything He created. All things were created by, in, and for Him. And when it comes to His Church, Christ holds it together and organizes all things, for Christ is the Head of the Church. If a church seeks to be in Christ, the church will understand all things. Don't miss what Paul writes, and this from his jail cell, "Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe - people and things, animals, and atoms - get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of His death, HIs blood that poured down from the Cross." Wow. That gives me such hope, that as imperfect and broken that I am at times, Christ is still working on me, and I am in the process of being fixed and put together in Him. I love the next verse (21) that says, like the church in Colossae, we are a case study of what Jesus can do. We are on God's side now, "whole and holy in His presence." And this has been a gift from God to us! What the author said is correct, we don't walk away from a gift like that! We are, or should be, grounded in Christ, walking and trusting Him for all we encounter in our daily lives. There is no other Messiah, no other Christ, but Jesus Himself. Yet we know not all things will be peaches and cream; the world brings with it enough sufferings and sacrifices that we face, but like Christ, we endure what comes along knowing that we have with us the greatest power in the universe. Paul reveals the mystery of the faith; Christ is in you, therefore we look forward to the sharing in God's glory. We live a life that should show Christ to others so that all of us will reach maturity. Paul writes, "To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less." Amen.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, pour out Your blessings on us. Fix those among us who are broken, and for those who seem to be losing pieces of life, mend us back together. Thank You for Jesus and all He continues to do for us. It's in His name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bear light and hope to someone today!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

The Main Course!

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38 As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. 39 She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. 40 But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand." 41 The Master said, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. 42 One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it - it's the main course, and won't be taken from her." (Luke 10:38-42 The Message)

Happy Monday dear Friend! I am praying that as you receive this you would be blessed by God's awesome word. May this be the start of a workweek in which you bless God's creation with your love and attention. Please remember baby Sophia of Shiner, TX, a 9 month old who is undergoing heart surgery this week. Pray God's calm and peace be with her parents, grandparents, and loved ones. Also, Mr. Sammie Gibson is having back pain and knee replacement surgery. Pray for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery, as well as God's comfort and peace with his wife, Ginger, and all their family. Pray for one another, and for yourselves.

I thank God for the wonderful people who dedicate themselves to kitchen and things of the household. It is a noble task and a very necessary one, key to human survival. I have nothing but great admiration for those who undertake such tasks and chores and who bless so many by their faithfulness. I have to say that the conveniences of today's modern world were not available to the people of Jesus' day. Just yesterday morning as I returned with some groceries from our HEB, I thought about how many different tasks I would have had to do to have what I held in my hands in the grocery bags. All I had to do was take a drive 1.4 miles from home and back the same 1.4 miles. Martha did not have that luxury. Neither did her brother Lazarus, for he would have had to do some of the labor in the garden and perhaps the slaughter of the meat. The challenge was a matter of life or death. So, we can begin to understand a bit of Martha's frustration of being the only one in the kitchen while Lazarus and Mary sat at the feet of Jesus. It was Martha who welcomed Jesus and extended the customary greetings for a visitor. Some of you may have remembered back in the day, when one would knock on a door, the door would open, and after the greeting, you would be offered a chair and the question, "Have you eaten?" We children would get the lecture from Dad or Mom, "If they ask if you have eaten, you will answer yes!" And we would retort, "But we haven't!" "Shhh! Just do what we say!" And in some homes, that would mean passing on some good home cooking!

Jesus' visit meant the welcome by Martha and it may have been that Jesus, not having his mom with him, said, "That would be nice; I am a little hungry." And off she goes to prepare a meal. And probably, Mary right behind her to help her in the preparations to properly welcome a guest. This time we find Mary "hanging on every word He said." Mary knew that this visit was unlike any other, for this man spoke of God, God's love, and promises of a life that would never end, and she did not want to miss a single word. Martha reacts in the way many of us might have; frustration, and rushes in to interrupt the conversation. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand."

You have to love Jesus' response, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it - it's the main course, and won't be taken from her." And the chapter ends there. No word about how Martha took that response. I believe because of the great love she had for Jesus, she received with love and realized that she too needed to listen to what Jesus offered. This modern version says that what Jesus was offering was the "main course," and as such was not to be declined. As a pastor, I have heard the full gamut of excuses some use to justify their absence from worship. In fact, there was a song in Spanish that said, "Excuses? Satan will give them to you." It drove home the point. We always have a choice; it's our free will to choose for ourselves wether we want the main course or a side dish or even dessert; but we must remember that the things Jesus offers to us are the essential nutrients for our spirits and the wellbeing of our souls. We do well in choosing those.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are loving and faithful. You continue to provide for us that which nourish and strengthen us. We are bombarded by options that are not all from You; help us to know the difference and to choose wisely that which is from You for us. This we pray in Christ Jesus, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be one who offers the "main course" to someone who has yet to receive that sort of invitation from Jesus!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Hercules Got Better Press!

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1 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years. 2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren, having borne no children. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Although you are barren, having borne no children, you shall conceive and bear a son.4 Now be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, or to eat anything unclean, 5 for you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor is to come on his head, for the boy shall be a nazirite to God from birth. It is he who shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines." (Judges 13:1-5 NRSV)

Happy Friday, dear Friend! To continue with Bible Stories You Should Know, we will examine the life of Samson. May his life bring you blessings and instruction. As you pray, please remember to pray for Mr. Bob Clark who is in the hospital in San Angelo, and where doctors have determined he has an ulcer and thus his episode with blood. Prayers for him and for his wife, Evelyn, who is at his side. They are thankful it was not something more serious or related to his battle against cancer. Also, please pray for Vicki Frenzel. She had a lung removed today at MD Anderson. The surgery went well but she is in need of prayers for healing. Update on Marian Hayes’ daughter-in-law Lynne Hudson: Lynne has multiple fractures in her hip but did not need to have surgery. She will be non-weightbearing for 4-6 weeks. Please pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

Hercules got better press. Growing up I saw more movies and tv shows on this mythical Greek hero than our own biblical hero, Samson. Yes, there are numerous movies for the two, but having seen movies on my tv and at the movies as a child, Hercules left more of an impression on me than Samson. Yet, as I matured, I came to appreciate the person and role of Samson in our Bible.

Samson was among the last of Israel's judges.(Samuel was the last) Fair warning, he was not very "judge-like" in his life or behavior. His life was very much R-rated, and some of his actions were very violent and rowdy (to put it nicely). His birth story is very much along Biblical lines. He was born during the time of one of Israel's regular "evil" periods, where they did what was evil and the Lord gave them away to their enemies. In Samson's case, the enemy were the dreaded Philistines. But his brith happens to a woman believed to be barren and comes with angelic announcement and instruction; the mother was not to drink wine or strong drink or to eat anything unclean. The boy was not to have a razor come on his head, for he was to be a nazirite, which comes from the word consecrated or set-apart, meaning having a divine purpose from God. One would think that having such a birth and instructions from God that this young man would be a model and inspiration for others. Nope. He was a spoiled child who soon showed great strength that was directly related to his hair length. He showed no personal restraint in his obsession with women, nor any wisdom in following his nation's laws or his parents' counsel regarding the fair sex. What Samson wanted, he pretty much got. And in the end, that was what got Samson. But to be fair, many of his actions were directed by God to get to the Philistines.

The first was Samson's desire to marry a Philistine woman. This saddened his parents who really wanted to have a daughter-in-law from among the Israelites. Samson was driven by God to accomplish some of God's desires against the dreaded enemy of the Jews. One of Samson's first superhuman acts was to defend himself against a young lion who came to attack him. With God's Spirit rushing upon him, Samson tore the lion as one might a goat kid. He then makes his first visit to the woman of his desires, and finds she pleased him. On his way back home he goes by the carcass of the slain lion and finds a swarm of bees had produced honey inside the dead body. Samson helps himself to the honey, violating Jewish law against such unclean actions, and then shares the honey with his parents, who would have refused it had they known it came from a carcass of the lion. But Samson uses it as the first of many tricks and riddles he played against his enemies. He also places a wager on the riddle only to lose because his wife wept and nagged the seven nights of the wedding feast. Since he had bet 30 festal garments, he kills 30 men of his wife's village. He paid his debt with murder.

It was his relationship with the infamous beauty Delilah that caused his downfall. She was not of his nation and culture and cared only about herself and her family. The leaders of her village wanted to know the secret of Samson's strength and four times he lied to her and four times he was spared certain capture. She employs the same thing that worked with his first wife; crying and nagging until he tells her the secret. He falls asleep on her lap and she had arranged for men to come in and shave his head and as his hair fell, the Spirit of the Lord departed him. He was easily bound and his eyes were gouged out. He was imprisoned and used for entertainment. Samson finally asked for those holding him prisoner to allow him to rest between the pillars holding up the building in which he was being held. As his hair had grown back, he prayed and asked God to allow his strength to return once again. And he asked to be able to avenge his eyes with the Philistines. The prayer is granted and the last judge of Israel collapses the building and he dies with all who were in the place with him.

Before we keep scratching our heads, remember this; God acted on behalf of His people in ways that are mysterious and thus hard to explain. Samson in no real way acted or lived like a judge, though we don't have written record of what he did when he wasn't setting fields on fire or murdering citizens for their clothing to pay off his gambling debts. And again, we are reminded that there are no perfect people in the Bible except Jesus, yet God still used them and blessed them. Our call is to be faithful and fruitful in whatever way that God shows to us.

PRAYER: Loving God, though Your ways are mysterious, we seek to be faithful and fruitful in all ways. Help us to be obedient to Your leading. This we pray in Christ Jesus, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Someone may be awaiting a kind word from you today that blesses them!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

A Prophetic Psalm

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Hear Here! 1 God calls the judges into his courtroom, he puts all the judges in the dock. 2 "Enough! You've corrupted justice long enough, you've let the wicked get away with murder. 3 You're here to defend the defenseless, to make sure that underdogs get a fair break; 4 Your job is to stand up for the powerless, and prosecute all those who exploit them." 5 Ignorant judges! Head-in-the-sand judges! They haven't a clue to what's going on. And now everything's falling apart, the world's coming unglued. 6 "I commissioned you judges, each one of you, deputies of the High God, 7 But you've betrayed your commission and now you're stripped of your rank, busted." 8 O God, give them their just deserts! You've got the whole world in your hands! (Psalm 82 The Message)

Tremendous Thursday is what we aim for! Make it one by starting with God, dear Reader! Any tremendous day begins with time spent with God, in His word, in prayer, and in reflection on what God may be saying or asking of us. I pray that this devotional serve that purpose for you and me.

As we follow yesterday' word from the prophet Amos, we come to this prophetic Psalm. The summary of this psalm is found in the graphic above; God speaking to the rulers of His nation. This version sets the conversation in a courtroom setting. God has called them to be judged. They have completely failed God and served instead themselves. The responsibility of the judge called by God has to 1). Defend the weak and the fatherless. 2). Uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. 3). Rescue the weak and the needy. 4). Deliver all of these from the hand of the wicked. God has found these judges to be the kind with their "head-in-the-sand" judges, which means they're not aware of anything. Murderers are getting away with murder, and the list goes on; God is not pleased. Their betrayal of their commission means they will be stripped of their rank and busted from serving God in this way.

What does this psalm have to do with us, everyday, for the most part, non-judges? Well, we all have a responsibility to the list found within this psalm. We are not islands on our own away from others. This is the parable of the Good Samaritan in capsule form, for all believers. If you love God, share love with God's people. This is also Jesus' "I was hungry, thirsty, naked, in jail, sick, and you did nothing for me" sermon from Matthew 25. Yes, it has everything to do with us. And it starts not where we want to be, but where we are. We are already blessed and entrusted to serve Him.

PRAYER: Awesome Father, thank You for where I find myself today, right now. I accept the charge to care for others and with Your help I will serve. Let me be a blessing for You. I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be the kind of "judge" that God expects; a loving, helpful, caring one!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Temple of the Kingdom or of the Lord God?

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7 This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 And the Lord said to me, "Amos, what do you see?" And I said, "A plumb line." Then the Lord said, "See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass them by; 9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword." 10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, "Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said, "Jeroboam shall die by the sword, and Israel must go into exile away from his land.' "12 And Amaziah said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13 but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom." 14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, "I am no prophet, nor a prophet's son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees,15 and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, "Go, prophesy to my people Israel.' (Amos 7:7-15 NRSV)

May this be a wonderful Wednesday for you dear Friend and yours is my prayer. As we pray I ask prayers for these: Please pray for Connie Kern and family. Her husband Landis passed away on Sunday. Connie is a member of our book club here at church. And for the widow of a clergyman from Rio Texas Conference, Adele Quintanilla who recently suffered a major stroke and has suffered additional minor strokes. Adele is not doing well and is now in hospice at her home after spending time in the hospital. Evelyn Clark has asked that we pray for her lifelong friends Thomas & Erin Rohan. Thomas & Erin were shot by a friend last week and both have serious injuries. Erin is still in the hospital with a bullet lodged near her spinal column. Thank you for your faithfulness and prayers. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

The call of almost all of Israel's prophets was a difficult one. I remind us that the word prophet meas literally "mouthpiece," thus a prophet was the mouthpiece of God and had to speak what was placed there by the Spirit of the Lord. And a prophet always preached truth and it was always a hard truth. The prophet Amos was the prophet during a very prosperous time for the Israelites. Their wealth called them away from God. And the kingdom was leading the charge away from God. The king wanted to maintain the peace after having regained most of the land they had lost to enemies, and wanted to enjoy the trappings that came with victory. And guess what, that still happens?

God speaks to Amos besides a wall built with a plumb line in His hand. God then says just as the plumb line helps in the determining whether a structure is straight, I have used it to see that the nation is not, and judgment is coming. See? God's truth is a hard word to preach. God's own words, "I will never again pass them by; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate (historic and royal places soon to be deserted), and the sanctuaries (holy worship places) shall be laid to waste, and I will rise agains the house of Jeroboam with the sword (King and his court shall be killed). The tweet was seen by a rival priest, chaplain to the King, who forwards it to the King. "Check this out your highness, his lowness is talking smack about you!"

The chaplain priest warns the prophet of God to run away, in other words, to shut up and get out of Dodge. "Why not head South to Judah? I hear they need a good prophet and they pay well, or so I hear. This town is a royal town, home to the king and your having shared such a harsh word would be best served in a non-royal city!" Amos replies with the story of his call; "I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet; I'm but a herdsman, and my side hustle was handling sycamore trees; but God saw fit to call me out of that work to preach His word, and here I am. BOOM.

Friends, truth is truth, and God's word is truth. Yet, even today, if one preaches a political thing from a pulpit it will be met with mixed reactions. The prophet Amos preached that following wealth instead of caring for the poor went against what God wanted. To leave the worship of God to worship wealth and riches is a sin. And to lead a nation away from doing good to instead concentrating on getting more land, money, wealth is not what God wanted then or now. I stress, being rich is not a sin. But to let possessions possess you, is. Wealth bring a certain responsibility to care for others, especially if you are a believer. I can't help but point out Bill and Melissa Gates and Warren Buffet. These are three of the wealthiest people in the world, and they have committed to give away their money to address illness, education, among a wide range of other issues that need their kind of money. And I have to point out that Warren Buffet is not necessarily a believer. Rick Warren, author and pastor, who got rich on his book, The Purpose Drive Life, writes that it is not a sin to be rich; but he believes it is a sin to die rich. It begs our question, where do our priorities and loyalties lie? If God is not chief among them, we are on our way to having a prophet come and tell us that we are doomed.

PRAYER: Loving Father, speak to my heart and let me be open to Your truth and love. May I place You first in my life, and all other things behind You. Open my heart to care for others. I also pray for the needs listed above. Bring Your comfort, healing, and peace to those on our prayer lists. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a helper and a bless-er today!

Blessings of love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

I'm God's Favorite!

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I give you all the credit, God - you got me out of that mess, you didn't let my foes gloat. God, my God, I yelled for help and you put me together. God, you pulled me out of the grave, gave me another chance at life when I was down-and-out. All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God! Thank him to his face! He gets angry once in a while, but across a lifetime there is only love. The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter. When things were going great I crowed, "I've got it made. I'm God's favorite. He made me king of the mountain." Then you looked the other way and I fell to pieces. I called out to you, God; I laid my case before you: "Can you sell me for a profit when I'm dead? auction me off at a cemetery yard sale? When I'm 'dust to dust' my songs and stories of you won't sell. So listen! and be kind! Help me out of this!" You did it: you changed wild lament into whirling dance; You ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers. I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can't thank you enough. (Psalm 30 The Message Version)

A Belated Happy Fourth of July to you, Friend! I trust you found time to rest and reflect on the significance of the day and to thank God for the freedoms we have in Him and in this nation. I pray you prayed for the men and women of our armed forces and all they do to keep the freedoms we have. I ask prayers for Nellie and me as we travel to Corpus Christi this Sunday where I will preach at the two worship services of St. Lukes UMC. They have a 9 am Contemporary worship service and an 11 am traditional.

The psalms being the prayer book of the Bible include prayers we have prayed over and over again. Our prayer book would probably read, "I needed help, so I called out to God and God helped me." Or, "I found myself in a jam, and God pulled me out of it." Or even, "I found that my heart had been shattered into a million pieces, and God put me back together." The psalm reaffirms our faith that God is our God of second chances. And it calls us to sing God's praises in response to God's goodness towards us. It really is a call for us to go and worship "God face to face."

The takeaway for this psalm is this verse, "across a lifetime there is only love." What a realization for us, that though we may have setbacks and challenges, overriding those is God's love. We may not sense it or see it at the time, but once we settle down in our prayers and study we realize it. "I didn't see it at the time, but God was there, loving and holding me." "The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter." During our times of good fortune and great blessings we may say as the psalmist, "I've got it made. I'm God's favorite. He made me king of the mountain." And just as easily, things could crumble and we might again say, "Help me, God!" And He did (again and again!).

My prayer is, dear reader, that whatever is troubling you may give way to blessings. I pray your nights of crying end right now, and you would be filled instead with laughter. But through it realize that God's love is great and with you all the time.

PRAYER: Awesome Lord, You know my story and my needs. In Your loving hands I place myself, my loved ones, and all that has been challenging me. Be glorified in me. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a song of praise for someone today!

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde

Arrived in Style; Left Completely Healed!

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Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, "Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy." When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me." But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel."So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?" He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, "Wash, and be clean'?" So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5:1-14 NRSV)

A most joyous of Wednesdays to you, dear Reader. I pray this finds you and yours doing well. For many this may be the last work day of this week! Tomorrow we celebrate our nation's Independence and whatever plans you may have I pray they are safe and joyous. As we pray let us remember to pray for one another, and for ourselves.

One of my first PimplesandWrinkles.org podcasts was on this very story, and I will connect a link below for you to hear that if you haven't already. It's such a powerful story I don't mind writing on it again and again. The Bible is such that any person who reads it over and over will find again and again new insights and truths not seen before. The insight I had on this reading was noticing the level of wealth and privilege in which this story takes place. We're talking the homes and palaces of kings and generals. And to make it even more interesting, the kings and generals of enemy states. The first person we meet in this story is a general. But not just any general; his troops had routed the armies of Israel and carried off many prisoners of war, including the little girl who served in his own household. She was a slave. The raid on her village led by this general ended that little girl's freedom and even her identity. Yet all was not well in this home of a general. He had contracted leprosy and if left untreated it could ruin his social and political life. The general served at the pleasure of the king and for him to have a disease considered to be highly contagious in those days would mean the end of his opulent lifestyle. It would take the little slave girl that to indeed save this general's life. She knew of the prophet in Israel who was known for doing unexplainable things known as miracles. If you remember the story not long ago of the farewell between Elijah and Elisha, this is the protégé of the great prophet. He had a double portion of the Holy Spirit and as such had allowed some great things to be done by his hand. The little girl had heard of that power and might, and so she says that the general should visit the prophet who lived in Samaria. This prompts the general to visit the king. He makes the request to visit an enemy state to seek his healing. This sets in motion royalty to visit royalty. The king of Aram sets up gifts fit for a king for the general to present to the king of Israel with the hope this would open the doors for him to receive his health. The king in Israel misreads the letter and believes the king of Aram wants him to heal his general. Elisha, being a servant of God hears of this dilemma of the king and sent a message to the king offering to receive the general with the promise "that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel."

The royal entourage comes to the prophet's home. This might have set all eyes in the prophet's neighborhood to peek out their windows at all the black Suburbans and Tahoes with countless men with earpieces and submachine guns guarding each vehicle and their occupants. The general waited to see the prophet but instead gets one of the prophet's servants who comes with a message for this important man; "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." Not what the general expected. He expected smoke and mirrors and the intrigue of liturgy as the man of God would come out and preach, or at least read from a book calling God down to heal this man. "He could have waved his hands over me at least!" the general gripes. "At the very least he could have come out to say hello. And why would I want to wash in the Rio Grande River when the Guadalupe, Blanco and Colorado rivers are much more cleaner?" He orders the cars started and the red and blue lights begin to flash. But one of the general's servants, after having observed the general's behavior, offers, "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? Why would such a simple thing as washing to become clean be so difficult for you?" It was a valid point, and the general goes down and washes seven times as ordered by the prophet and he is not only healed, his skin becomes like that of a young boy. His miracle had arrived. And all this in a simple neighborhood, far from the trappings of wealth and power. Even the expected high church ritual of healing was not needed, just simple obedience. A miracle had occurred.

The truth is that God works in all settings and among all people. God does not favor the victors nor losers. Naaman was the winning general; Elisha was the prophet of the conquered nation of Israel. The general gets life-saving information from a little slave girl who would probably get nothing special in return, certainly not her freedom. The lesson is that God is in control, and does what He wants and when He wants. He has the power to heal and yet can require further obedience from those seeking healing like asking for a river bath to take seven times in the water versus a simple dip. And rather than having the prophet waving his hands, it was the water of the Jordan River not known for its cleanliness that brought new skin to the diseased general. We serve the God of the unexpected and the unexplained. Most of what the Lord God does to a certain degree remains a mystery of wonder and grace. There was no God in Aram that could do for Naaman what our God did. And God did not recognize the differences in nationalities. A person in need was healed. Was he a deserving person or not? That's not for us to answer. We praise Him. You and I have been the undeserving person with the miracle. We received mercy for things we thought we never would do and probably that we would never confess. We received salvation and grace. We have had our names recorded in the Book of Life. And we have the joy of looking forward to eternal life. And we have the task of obediently sharing this for others. And all are invited and expected.

PRAYER: Loving God, thank You. We stand in awe and wonder of the many favors that have come from You to us. We can't make sense of them, but we know we just want us to enjoy them. Help us to better tell Your story to others. Give us Your eyes to see Your presence in all people. This we pray in Christ Jesus, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be like the prophet Elijah who served God with joy and wonder.

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde

Here is the link to "God Knows Your Name" the podcast on 2 Kings 5:

ALL CAPS! NEW CREATION IS AWESOME!

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Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others - ignoring God! - harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith. Now, in these last sentences, I want to emphasize in the bold scrawls of my personal handwriting the immense importance of what I have written to you. These people who are attempting to force the ways of circumcision on you have only one motive: They want an easy way to look good before others, lacking the courage to live by a faith that shares Christ's suffering and death. All their talk about the law is gas. They themselves don't keep the law! And they are highly selective in the laws they do observe. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast of their success in recruiting you to their side. That is contemptible! For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can't you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do - submit to circumcision, reject circumcision. It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God - his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them! (Galatians 6:7-16 The Message)

Happy Tuesday dear Friend! My prayers are that this finds you and yours doing well. I pray the heat for those in our area isn't more than you can bear. Please stay safe and cool! I received a very sad prayer request from the conference office which I share with you for your prayers: "Please be in prayer with Rev. James Bryant, pastor of St. Paul UMC in Columbus, upon the death of his son, Falton. Falton's death from cancer follows the death of Rev. Bryant's daughter in April. We pray God's blessing and condolences be with Rev. Bryant and his wife, Vivian." One cannot begin to imagine the pain and sadness in the Bryant family. Only God can bring them comfort and that is our prayer. Please pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

The passage from today comes in ALL CAPS. I know some of us have our preferences for or against ALL CAPS and mine is I don't like getting a message in all caps unless it is good news. I had a DS years ago who only knew to type in ALL CAPS. It was hard to read his letters and articles in the district newsletter. I prefer getting an email or letter stating, Dear Rev. Valverde, YOU HAVE WON THE PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE SWEEPSTAKES! That is my kind of notice! Okay, Paul wasn't typing, but in this passage he is excited and emphatic as he makes his point and so we read "I want to emphasize in the bold scrawls of my personal handwriting the immense importance of what I have written to you." And this is better than ANY SWEEPSTAKES! Paul understands how we the believers are to live our lives. His basic understanding is that we are NEW CREATIONS because we have given ourselves to the Lord. As believers we are about the work of God and onward and upward we move. He shows his dislike of the traditional part of the Jewish/Christian group that stressed that believers in Christ had to first be Jews then Christians, and as such had to undergo the rite of circumcision which was the sign of the ancient covenant in the flesh. Paul correctly understood that there is nothing written in scripture that says Gentiles who accept Jesus become first Jews, and then Christians.

One who becomes a Christian is a Christian, not a Jew. No need for further compliance with the Jewish law or customs. What Christ has created is what we celebrate and rejoice, that God has created in you and me, a totally new, free life! And we find it fitting here in the USA as we celebrate the holiday coming Thursday, our Independence Day. In Christ we have true freedom from sin, from death, from the past mistakes of yesterday, and the freedom to move forward in faith. And that, dear friends, is an ALL CAPS CELEBRATION!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Your love for us comes in ALL CAPS, let our lives respond in ALL CAPS EXCITEMENT for that love and for You! Guide us and use us! We love You! In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Make it an ALL CAPS DAY of excitement as you share God's Love with others!

Blessings of love,

Eradio Valverde