No More Tears!

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6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. 7 And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. (Isaiah 25:6-9 NRSV)

Happy Wednesday, ConCafe Family! We pray this Wednesday bring you, Dear one, great opportunities of service and love that brings blessings and joy to God's family! Let us pray today for those struggling to understand forgiveness; how it works, and should work with us. If you need assistance, please call your pastor or a trusted friend; or even call me if you wish.

"I just lost it!" exclaimed a friend and former member of one of my old churches. He was talking about the news that church received about a tragic death of a precious college student. "I at the funeral, I knew that I had to be strong so that my little sister wouldn't lose it; and I was strong, but she still cried a lot." Death brings tears to those who love and who will dearly miss the departed. It is a hard part of the grieving process, but a necessary one; take that from one who grew up with an outrageous adage, "Los hombres no lloran," meaning "men do not cry." I don't know who made that up or encouraged that, but growing up I saw my father cry and other men from my family cry, so I knew that saying may have served its purpose in another era, but today, crying is good, and necessary. Yet, crying sometimes makes some people uncomfortable, and may even frighten others; a mother or father cannot bear to hear their children cry. The emotional ones, like yours truly, tend to tear up and even cry alongside others. So, to hear the ancient prophet speaks the words from today's passage, we can both identify and understand more the death of Jesus on a cross, for the eternal good He was doing in dying for us. The coming feast and celebration, besides having the finest food and drink one could imagine, will have a celebration of the eternal removal that which has burdened humanity since Day one. "He will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken." The wait is over; God has brought us eternal salvation, and the charge now is for us to "be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

As I was studying for this devotional, I remembered a particular baby shampoo that had made the claim their shampoo no longer caused tears. Some quick research showed that Johnson & Johnson since the mid-1950's made a shampoo with the claim, "No More Tears." And later campaigns had people squirting this shampoo into each other's eyes only to discover that while there may not have been tears, the pain on the eyes made it difficult to see. Some claimed that the English language had struck again; the word tear did not mean the drops from the eyes caused by crying, but referred to the tear that can come to the hair by a harsh shampoo; so did "No More Tears" mean no more breaks in the hair because of this shampoo? The company stood by their claim of no more tears as in crying because their product was meant to protect babies who until they reach a certain age cannot blink, and so their product protected those precious eyes. The day is coming, thanks to God's action in Jesus to die for us all and to pay for our price caused by our sinfulness, that the day will arrive when there will be no more death, and as a result no more tears.

Whatever may be causing your tears during these days, dear friend, those days are limited. They have been defeated by Jesus, and on that day when we gather at the Feast, part of what we celebrate will be the final defeat of death and crying. They will be replaced by joy and gladness.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, hasten the day of that Day, when we will experience the final removal of death and mourning; bless those who weep now, Father, for unexpected deaths that have come, and for those who know that the life of loved ones is limited because of sickness and disease. To them bring peace and comfort, and the assurance of joy from having served You and knowing that in You we will be blessed. We pray with faith in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Seek to bring a smile to those in pain today; ask the Lord and He will guide you to them.

Receive my blessings of peace and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

paypal.me/EradioValverde

He is Risen!

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1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. (1 Corinthians 15:1-11 NIV)

A blessed and tremendous Tuesday be yours, ConCafe Family; and may you, Friend, seek new ways to affirm your faith in the risen Jesus! I have an update on one of my cousins from Chicago, the Rivera sisters; Bobbie's sedation and oxygen levels had to go up a bit. Her temp is normal, and her stressors have been cut down quite a bit; the family is hopeful and thankful, and I invite more prayers for her and her sister. Thank you for your prayers, and may God bless all who need His healing touch. Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.

This is the witness of one who witnessed the Risen Christ some time after the actual event. It changed his life forever, even to the point of his personal death for the sake of Jesus. I'm referring to the Apostle Paul who preached the gospel of Jesus Christ without compromise, without holding back, and without the fear that holds many back. For Paul, as he states in this first verse, that he has shared faithfully, and he knows that those who read this letter are standing firm to the word that he preached; anything else is vanity. What Paul shared is what Jesus shared with him, "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, believed to be Jesus' brother, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God."

Paul was convinced by Jesus, of Who He was; Jesus was not an unseen, far-away Savior, Jesus was the Savior who knew Paul by name, and called him by name into ministry. Paul had had an encounter with Him, told of all things that were to come and be, and still lived his life in obedience to that call. He knew that death, because of his faith, would be the way he would exit this world, and that did not deter his enthusiasm nor his determination. Would you be this strong? Paul never wavered in his faith, at least it was not shared in his writings. And the same life that God gave to Jesus to rise from the dead, God gave to Paul to be present in Glory with Jesus. And it is the same life God will share with us if we believe, live, and die with Him as our Lord and Savior. Easter is about eternal hope and life everlasting. Easter is the newness of life that come to those who surrender their sins to Him, Who removes those from us. And like Paul, may we accept God's grace to be just exactly who God would have us be; to serve as God would have us serve, and to help grow the Kingdom of God just as God would have us grow it. And may we even "work harder" than all others out of the love we have for God and that we know that God has for us!

PRAYER: God of Easter love and Easter life, bless us in our days leading to this coming Sunday; may we bless all whom we meet; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Serve the Lord with gladness today; work twice as hard as before.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

paypal.me/EradioValverde

We Have Seen the Lord!

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1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Mag'dalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran, and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." 3 Peter then came out with the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; 5 and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, 7 and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." 14 Saying this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rab-bo'ni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." 18 Mary Mag'dalene went and said to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:1-18 RSV)

Happy Monday ConCafe Family! And may this week bless you, Friend, with wonderful surprises and opportunities in which you bless others! We continue to pray for our nation; pray especially for the hungry in this country, as well as other countries. May we find ways to help the Lord provide food for the hungry. Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.

This coming Sunday is the Super Bowl/World Series/World Champion Sunday of all Sundays. It is Resurrection Sunday, also called Easter Sunday. It is a wonderful day for our faith because it is when we, the Church, declare our faith in the One who died on Good Friday on a cross and bore the sins of the world. And it is also our sins that God bore and His death erased our sins. This is the passage that John shares in his gospel to describe the events of the day.

It was on a Sunday morning, after the Sabbath was over, that the women came to the tomb with the needed part of their faith regarding the dead, and that was to prepare the body for burial. Their process was to anoint the body with fragrances and spices. Jesus' tomb was a hollowed out cave, and this cave was provided by Joseph of Arimathea. The tomb you will remember was guarded by Roman soldiers to ensure that the disciples did not steal the body in the middle of the night and then perpetuate the lie they feared would be a resurrection. The tomb was also sealed with a huge stone that it was believed required more than one man to roll into and out of place. It was power that brought Jesus back to life, and power that rolled away the stone, and that power was the power of God. And in this account, when Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb, the stone was was rolled away and the tomb was empty. Mary then runs to the disciples and tells Simon Peter and John Mark and she relays the scene as she found it. "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." That was all she needed to say and the two took off running to see for themselves. The run to the tomb becomes a foot race and age wins out; yet it was maturity that allowed the slower one to walk in while the younger stood outside with fear.

It is interesting to note that while the two disciples had been inside, they did not see what Mary saw when she finally went in; two angels dressed in white, sitting in the place where Jesus had been lain. None of this was comforting her, for she continued to weep. When she turns she sees Jesus, but did not know it was Him. He says to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?" Mary thinks Jesus is the gardener and asks him, "If you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will tkae Him away." She's thinking Jesus is dead, and is willing to carry His body off with her. But it was Jesus who spoke to her and called her by name, "Mary." She reacts by calling Him, "Rabboni," which means teacher and further tells her, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." Mary then goes to the disciples and says to them, "I have seen the Lord," and also told them the other things that Jesus shared with her. The rest, is our history.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the birth of the Christian Church. The declaration that a man who died a painfully excruciating death could, three days later, rise from the death, well frankly, to many, is unbelievable. I have shared how I had a seminary professor lecture on the Resurrection as being a "faith event," meaning it was something that only those who believed in Jesus could actually "see" the once dead man, alive. He went on to say that the objective eye of a camera could not have recorded the resurrection, because it was only happening in the minds of those who believed. I shook my head in disbelief and checked it off as something some members of my future churches might hold as their "faith," and found out that yes, I have had members who do not truly believe in resurrection of any kind; not of Jesus and not of themselves. While you and I were not on hand on that date some two thousand years ago, we hold fast to a faith that believes that the God Who created all things out of nothing, could indeed bring life to a dead man. The gospels record several resurrections, Lazarus' being the most famous, of persons who were dead as coming back to life. Those all later died, of course, but Jesus is still alive. What does Paul's ministry say about the Resurrection? That the Christ who died and rose to Heaven, came and called him into ministry by name and stayed with him as he did a large share of the conversion of the known world into faith.

May our faith be super strong this year; that our faith may bring light and hope to those who still struggle in what they do or do not believe.

PRAYER: Father, into Thy hands we commend our faith. The challenges and losses of this past year have shaken many, but we pray for strength and boldness to hold fast to You and Your Son, Jesus, our Lord and Savior. May our faith help to bring new life to those spiritually dying or dead; may it bring light to those in darkness, and may we together work to bring righteousness into this world. We pray in the name of He Who rose from the dead for us, Jesus our Lord, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share a little Resurrection faith today with those in need!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

The World Can Be Brutal; But Christ With Us!

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9 Be kind to me, God - I'm in deep, deep trouble again. I've cried my eyes out; I feel hollow inside. 10 My life leaks away, groan by groan; my years fade out in sighs. My troubles have worn me out, turned my bones to powder. 11 To my enemies I'm a monster; I'm ridiculed by the neighbors. My friends are horrified; they cross the street to avoid me.12 They want to blot me from memory, forget me like a corpse in a grave, discard me like a broken dish in the trash. 13 The street-talk gossip has me "criminally insane"! Behind locked doors they plot how to ruin me for good. 14 Desperate, I throw myself on you: you are my God! 15 Hour by hour I place my days in your hand, safe from the hands out to get me. 16 Warm me, your servant, with a smile; save me because you love me. (Psalm 31;9-16 The Message)

A wonderful Thursday be yours, ConCafe Family! I'm praying the blessings of the Lord cover you with peace and joy. May our prayers continue for the needs we have shared with one another. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

The psalmist takes a prophetic role in writing this psalm. The honesty and brutality of human suffering knows no station nor status; even kings and queens weep from the stresses of life. And while we may sometimes think others have it made, we discover they suffer the same things as us. I've shared how when visiting a huge church with a group interested in learning the how behind their success, my thoughts were that this senior minister must have it made! His first words on his opening talk to us were precisely my thoughts. "You might think I have it made, and that everyone loves me; but my detractors sit on the front row ready for any slipup or any ammunition they may use against me; and my prayer as I walk from my seat to the pulpit is 'Lord, give me a heart to love these people.'" Bam.

Trouble and despair even came into Jesus' heart and soul. His prayer and his weeping in the Garden of Gethesemane revealed the difficulty the Lord knew awaited Him the very next day. Even his "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me." (Mt. 26:39). These words share the passion of Jesus for us; "I've cried my eyes out; I feel hollow inside. My life leaks away, groan by groan; my years fade out in sighs. My troubles have worn me out, turned my bones to powder. To my enemies I'm a monster; I'm ridiculed by the neighbors." Have you ever felt something close to that? More than likely yes for some, no for others. Yet, this is the passion, the pain, the hurt that Jesus endured. The disciples, His "friends," could not get near to the cross, nor did they have any power to stop what was going on; it may have seemed to Jesus that their horror, and their actions were just like crossing the street to avoid having contact with Him. Even the ones from Sunday's Palm Sunday crowd are thinking that Jesus may have been "criminally insane." And the ones out to ruin Him did meet behind locked doors to plot His demise. Jesus identifies with every tear, every sob we may have, and His presence is that which sustains us, and keeps us. His pain led to power; and His death led to life. And the promises He made to us nourish and sustain us when we feel the weakness of our resistance against the brutality of life. Like Jesus, we turn to the only Source of hope and healing that we have; God Almighty.

This is perhaps the most difficult part of our Lenten Journey; knowing that it was Jesus who bore the weight of the world on His heart; yet that heart was filled with unmoveable love. As Paul would later write, "Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:29). Re-read the list Paul shared in that passage, and you might not see your hurt or pain listed exactly like he shared it, but you know it's there; more importantly, you know that God is right there with you, even now.

PRAYER: Come, Lord Jesus, fill us with hope and healing. Remove the doubt and the dread away that we may have towards the brutality of life; let us truly know that You are with us, and You will sustain us. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Serve as a source of healing for someone today!

Receive my blessings of healing and hope,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

At the Name of Jesus...

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5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 NRSV)

A blessed and joyous Tuesday be yours, ConCafe Family! May this be the day you, Friend, have been waiting for! May it be filled with awe and wonder and love to share with all people!

Jesus. It's a name that means life and love to me. It's a name I have heard probably all of my life. I may not have known the Who behind the name, or the why, but when I came to know, my life changed. When I came to hear His call into ministry, the change was more dramatic and earth-shaking; through Him I came to know real love from God, from those who knew and loved God, and from those who came to love me and walk with me for many years. It also brought to me an awareness that I do not yet know all there is to know about Jesus. I laugh at declaring that I know everything about Jesus, because I know that would make Jesus laugh, too.

You might remember the days when necklaces and bracelets sold well that bore the inscription or the initials, WWJD. Remember? You might still own one. The initials stood for What Would Jesus Do? The meaning behind that phrase is long and complicated, but the bracelet and related t-shirts and the like, came from a novel that raised that question. To make a decision, to live a good life, to be a better person, to be a good husband/wife, father, son/daughter, etc., one could really bless God by asking and answering the question, "What would Jesus do?" The very first verse of this passage addresses how; "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." Some commentaries on the above WWJD phrase led to the other phrase that followed, FROG, which stands for Fully Rely on God, which is what Jesus Himself truly did while on earth; and if we would truly fully rely on God for help in making decisions and taking any sort of action, the blessings would be enormous. Having the mind of Christ, allowing God's Holy Spirit to help us in our daily living would leave no room for bad or evil or wicked decisions; we would want nothing more than to live a life that is guided and blessed by thoughts shared by the good and the positiive that comes from the Holy Spirit.

The next verse, verse 6, explains how that led Christ to see Himself as one Who did not exploit, or flaunt His being equal with God, but allowed Him to see Himself as a slave to God, born in human likeness and having the spirit to humble Himself and becoming obedient to God to the death He received on the Cross. It was that spirit that allowed God to exalt Jesus and truly hold the name of Jesus with all the power that comes with it; "So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." If we know Jesus, just the mention of that name should spring in us the act of humble obedience to Him; even to the point of death should that others may live and have that which Jesus brought to the earth because of God's great love for you and me. This knowledge of Jesus made me want to know more about Him, and as a result to do more for Him. It is the reason I strive to share what little I know through these devotionals; so that you might know Him more and you might do more for Him; and through our combined efforts help those who are still "out there," might come to the knowledge that life is worth living, and giving is worth doing, and sharing is a blessing worth receiving by our doing what Jesus would have us do.

In my FaceBook posts for my Remedial Sunday School, I have been sharing the Three Simple Things that we glean from John Wesley's writings; Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. I've added to them the "exceptions" we tend to add on our own, which in themselves defeats what God wants. We all need to be reminded that our actions, our words, even our thoughts can harm others and we shouldn't. Do good; well, we easily do that for those whom we know and love, but what about others? Sometimes we say, think and do things that are not good for those who we have deemed different or not worthy of our good! And staying in love with God implies that we love ourselves in positive ways, and our neighbors in the same way. And sadly, many of us have to be reminded of this. If we have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, we would live a wonderful life that blesses others.

PRAYER: Loving God, we are ready to be filled and guided by the power of Thy Holy Spirit to have the same mind as Jesus Christ. May we not only remember What Would Jesus Do, but Do What Jesus Did; and let us always Fully Rely on God. Help us in our weaknesses and guide us to faithful and fruitful obedience that blesses You and Yours! In Christ Jesus' powerful name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Let your actions give you and what is in you away in beautiful ways!

Receive my blessings of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Welcome the King!

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Hear the devotional here: http://bit.ly/316w37A

12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! ” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Blessed is the king of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. (John 12;12-16 NIV)

Happy Monday dear ConCafe Family! And we anticipate the celebration most churches as Sunday is Palm Sunday! May the days leading up to that event prepare and bless you, Friend, for all experiences leading to it are blessings to be had and shared! We have no updates on Austin Police Officer Elijah Neely, but his wife has started a GoFundMe campaign to help with their hosptial costs. Officer Neely has been in the hospital since Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) , and we can only imagine the costs the family will have to bear for his treatment. Please continue to pray for this officer, for his healing, for his family, and his coworkers. I will place a link at the bottom of this devotional in case you would like to contribue to his campaign. Also, two children of my first cousin in Chicago are also battling Covid and they are also in serious condition and need our prayers. Pray for the Rivera sisters. Thank you and may God bless you for your prayers. Pray for one another, pray for yourselves. We thank you again for your kindness and understanding for Nellie and I to enjoy time off together. It was relaxing and we also got some work in. I send out congratulations to David & Norma Marroquin of McAllen, Texas, who on Saturday celebrated 50 years of wedding bliss! In conversations prior to my officiating their renewal, David let me know that three times he asked Norma to marry him, she only would reply with "Maybe." Even while kneeling at the altar 50 years ago, while the pastor turned to do do something on the altar table, David asked Norma if she would marry him, and she smiled, then laughed and said, "Maybe." Great people who have blessed me and many with their faith. David, I would add, was on a team I led to San Juan, Puerto Rico back in September, 1991. I remember the date because I was invited back as the spiritual director of that Walk to PR for their 10th Anniversary celebration. Funds did not allow me to attend and that weekend was the 9-11 attack on New York. I told Nellie that I had I gone to PR no telling when I would have been allowed back with all that followed that event. Nellie also had surgery that weekend and her surgeon had to rent a car in California to drive back to San Antonio to be with her for that operation.

Palm Sunday sets the stage in our hearts as it did on that Sunday in Jerusalem when Jesus entered the Holy City as someone special. The festival being celebrated during that week was Passover and that usually drew very large crowds to Jerusalem for that important celebration. The crowd already in town heard that Jesus was on His way to the city and so they prepared a welcome for Him that included palm branches and the shouting of "Hosanna!" and "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" They even made it more political by shouting, "Blessed is the king of Israel!" Not what you would imagine the king of Israel wanted to hear his enemies shouting. Yet, Jesus did as He was supposed to, He found a young donkey and sat on it, as a powerful symbol of the Jewish history and heritage, and a fulfillment of prophecy that said, "See, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." His welcome that Sunday would be far different from the cries shouted out on Thursday night and all morning on Friday. And it would be after Jesus' resurrection that they would realize just what had indeed happened with Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

A study of people on Sunday would show excitement and hope in the coming of this itinerant rabbi who had done incredible things that the people could not explain but did get blessed by seeing and hearing about them. Jesus, after all, had cured the lame, the blind, the multitudes of crowds with diverse diseases, and had even raised the dead. A study of the same people on Friday would show that most of those excitedly shouting for Jesus' arrival as King were now joining the voices of others who wanted Him dead. And sadly, many would truly believe that Jesus served no purpose and that His death would be the best thing for their faith. I have often wondered, would I be among the crowd shouting for His death on Friday even though I had shouted His welcome on Sunday? Or, would I have felt faith take over my life on Sunday to shout for His release on Friday? I thank God I was not there, but I am here now. And how I live my life shouts out what I truly believe and what I truly want from God for me, and for others. What are you shouting?

PRAYER: Loving God, come into my heart, my life, my family, my work, my play, and be KING! Be He who reigns over me and protects me. Let me live a life that shouts my love for You in a way that will draw others to You. Let this be the beginning of a revival and re-awakening of faith in all people; this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Shout your life in Christ today; let all hear it. Use words if necessary!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Click here to donate to Officer Neely's medical needs: https://www.gofundme.com/f/officer-needs-assistance-elijah-neely?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

Reminders, Memories, and Moving On!

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1 Oh, thank God - he's so good! His love never runs out. 2 All of you set free by God, tell the world! Tell how he freed you from oppression, 3 Then rounded you up from all over the place, from the four winds, from the seven seas. 4 Some of you wandered for years in the desert, looking but not finding a good place to live, 5 Half-starved and parched with thirst, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion. 6 Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God. He got you out in the nick of time; 7 He put your feet on a wonderful road that took you straight to a good place to live. 8 So thank God for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves. 9 He poured great draughts of water down parched throats; the starved and hungry got plenty to eat. 33 God turned rivers into wasteland, springs of water into sunbaked mud; 34 Luscious orchards became alkali flats because of the evil of the people who lived there. 35 Then he changed wasteland into fresh pools of water, arid earth into springs of water, 36 Brought in the hungry and settled them there; they moved in - what a great place to live! 37 They sowed the fields, they planted vineyards, they reaped a bountiful harvest. (Psalm 107:1-9, 33-37 The Message Bible)

Happy Thursday, ConCafe Family! Blessings of peace and grace upon you, blessed Friend! May God's face shine upon you and give you peace. And may that peace be the seed of joy you share with someone today!

Time flies by, and it seems more so the older we become. I remember days thinking about a particular hardship or even a schooldays, "When will this be over?" And now it's more, "I can't believe the days just flew by!" One minute we had a carful of children, smiling, fighting, singing, yelling, laughing, or crying; then it's just the two of us. All those days were blessed, as are these days now. There is remembrance in the heart of the psalmist as he wrote these lines as shared above. Though he himself did not walk the Exodus, in his heart as he heard the ancients tell the tales of those, he joined them in heart and spirit and walked with them, ate with them, suffered with them, cried out with them, and unlike many on the actual journey, praised God for all that God did and shared with them. This morning a friend and I spoke by phone and when he told me his real name and I repeated it, he said, "All the ones who used to call me that are gone." Yes, but to say that name was to walk among them if just for an instant and to utter a brief, "Thank You, God for those who used to call me that," pleases the Lord.

Our walking with Jesus during these forty days of Lent is a reminder and a memory of all that God did for us through His Son Jesus; and if anytime during our daily walk we just briefly say, "Thank You, God for Jesus," we have been in worship. Any reminder, memory, or thought travel that we have in remembrance of God's goodness is an act of worship, and that pleases God and blesses us. The Exodus journey was a foundational teaching of the Christian faith; God with us. We never journey alone. Sufferings do come, but God overcomes them for us. When it comes time to cross the Jordan, God crosses with us, and waits for us on the other side and welcomes us. The welcome outweighs and even erases the bad.

God provides water and food to quench and satisfy our desires and needs. And God continues to do that. We should provide the thanks, and the stories that we have to share with those who hunger and lack for such things. Reminders, memories, and moving on is a theme of our faith. As we make new memories may they be positive and life-giving!

PRAYER: Loving Father, for the good and the bad, we are thankful. We have learned much and we have much to share. May we do so with gratitude in our hearts for all You have done for us and with us. Help us to daily refresh and renew our faith with others. And in all things be glorified. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! What reminders, memories and joys do you have to share? What are we waiting for? Share now!

Receive my blessings of hope and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Are We There Yet?

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Hear the devotional right here: http://bit.ly/3vd7Qdg

4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." 6 Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. (Numbers 21:4-9 RSV)

A blessed and joyous Wednesday, dear ConCafe Family. And may God's mercies bless you in your Lenten Journey, Dear Reader. I do not have any updates on Office Elijah Neely, and Gina and Nellie are holding their own. Please continue to pray for these and others as God leads you. Pray for yourselves and pray for one another.

Did you travel by car a lot? We had few vacations. I vividly remember some trips to San Antonio as our vacation spot, and one year we went to Monterrey, Mexico, and the big and final family vacation was in June 1972 to Orlando for the first summer that Walt Disney World was open. This coming October is the start of the 50th Anniversary of that event, and our daughter Carli surprised us with a trip in November! Nellie and I are very excited, but more details on that later! I do not remember any of my siblings or me asking, "Are we there yet?" With our girls, there may have been some to have uttered those words. And for sure, I believe my grandkids have been known to ask that repeatedly. It's painful while living it, but humorous years later, and a bit of a comedy routine now for those who can look back. And while studying the Exodus, some of the scenes, like the passage for today, the Israelites cry various things that come very close to being, "Are we there yet?" And worse, "Why are we on this trip anyway?" The distance covered would not normally take 40 years. Yet we forget that this was a journey of formation more than just a point A to point B trip. And their gripes, while justified (maybe), border on the annoying. Impatience is what it is. Frustration is another aspect. "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." Ouch. They could not see the forest for the trees! They missed the point of God's role and intention for these whom God had called out of bondage and forced labor, to a new nation in which they would rule. And, as we have read, it did annoy God to the point of God sending "fiery serpents" which bit the people and killed some. That was enough to get the survivors to cry out to God in confession. Moses prays on behalf and God tells Moses to make a replica of a serpent and to set it on a pole, and as people got bitten, if they would look to this pole, they would survive the snake bite. And that's what happened.

The above graphic shows what we now associate that pole with today; the Cross. Both present life even in the face of certain death. Yes, especially after our personal rebellion and outcry of complaints towards God and God's plan for our lives. We have had those moments when we lose sight of the big picture and so we complain or panic thinking all is lost, and while we blame God for our being where we perceive where we are. And even ministers are not exempt from this...and that's all I'm saying. For now. Our God is a God of life, liberation, transformation, and victory. Our journey thus far this Lenten season should have shown us this. Whatever it may be that you are facing, especially uncertain things about your future, trust in God and share that with God in prayer. Which brings us to the adage, "We don't know what tomorrow holds, but we know Who holds tomorrow." The answer is God.

PRAYER: Loving Father, as we so naturally worry about so much, let us share that worry with You. You who hold tomorrow, please hold us, and forgive us our anxiety. Bless those who join us in worry and lead us into the formation to which You are calling us. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Help point out life to those who see only death!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Created for Good Works, But Saved by Grace!

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1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ —by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. (Ephesians 2:1-10 NRSV)

Happy Tuesday dear ConCafe Family, and a gorgeous day in terms of your faithfulness in service to the Lord, Dear Friend! Our thanks again for your prayers for our nieces, Gina and Nellie Rosales. Gina had to be re-admitted to the hospital because her oxygen level in her blood was too low; once in, she had good numbers thanks to the oxygen treatment she received there. Doctors are giving her new medicines to help her breathe easier. Please continue to pray for Gina and Nellie, and also for Officer Elijah Neely. We trust the Lord and He is gracious unto us. Also, just today we received word that Cindy Deaton, wife of retired pastor, Rev. Mark Deaton, was entering hospice care. Later an invitation was given to those near their New Braunfels home to meet this evening to sing. As about 60 people sang Amazing Grace, she entered into her rest. Pray for Mark's comfort and peace.

We come to yet another powerful message from God through Paul for you and me. Paul reminds his congregation of the reality of how God found us, as dead through missteps and sins; it seemed we lacked the right footing to live a life that God intended for us, and so we were rotting away spiritually; and sadder still it could have been said of any of us that we were disciples of the devil and not God. What a terrible title to have! For us to be governed, managed, ruled by our fleshy passions is not a way to live; but we were giving in to desires and impulses, and quite honestly, we were children of wrath. We looked and lived just like everyone else. God's original intention for all His creation, was for us to be different and set apart from others, to be an example to others; but if we just blend in and people out in the world can't tell the difference between us and those who are righteous, then we are failing in our lives, aren't we? Yet, it was while we were yet sinners, as another verse says, that God found it in His heart to reach out to us and make us "alive together with Christ." It was through grace, a free, undeserved gift of love from God, that salvation came to us; and "raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." And while God intended us for good works, it is solely through God's grace that we are saved. And that should be the way we live.

Please never think that you're too far to be brought back in to where you belong; yes, God's arms are that long. And never think that we have done such terrible things that we can't be forgiven; yes, God's heart and memory are full of love and God forgives all who ask, easily. If you hear otherwise, you're still tuned into the wrong station listening to the wrong DJ; ours is Jesus Himself and He blasts away our sins and doubts, erases our sins and makes us all the grand prize winners of salvation, free. Not by what we have done, but by what we have believed.

PRAYER: Loving God, speak to us when we need to hear loud and clear that which is from You to help us on our path. Forgive us our trespasses and sins, wife away the clouds of doubt and fear; and make us truly Thine. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be the sound of hope that someone needs to hear today!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

The Shadow of The Cross

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Hear the devotional right here. http://bit.ly/2OzKGNp

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (John 3:14-21 NIV)

Happy Monday to you dear ConCafe Family! And may the cobwebs of the first work day for many be swept away by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in you. God needs us to have us bright-eyed and bushy tailed for His work! As I shared with you in special emails, please continue to pray for all who battle Covid, especially those whose names we have lifted up; Gina and Nellie Rosales, our nieces from Mission, TX,. and Officer Elijah Neely, an Austin police officer who is in a medically-induced coma in Austin. May our prayers bring healing from the Lord and comfort for their families.

The journey of Lent which takes us to the victory we will soon celebrate on Easter, has been one with a huge shadow cast on it. It is the shadow of the Cross, which we can liken to David's exclamation, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," meaning parts of our life have reminders of the finality of human life; loved ones we have lost, the personal fear many have towards their own death; scrapes with death, and even near-death experiences for some. In this famous encounter with a well-connected and influential Pharisee, who so wanted to believe he ventured in the cover of darkness to meet with Jesus, to ask Him about Who He truly was, and Jesus told this man, Nicodemus, the truth about Himself and His way, leading to death, and the why behind that death. In the passage from Exodus, which is referred to in verse 14, Jesus speaks of that which overcomes any shadow, and that is the light and love of God towards life! Even though Jesus knew His painful suffering would serve an eternal purpose for all people who sought it, He needed to share these words with them.

Jesus also shared what many people call their favorite verse, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." It is still as powerful now as it was the night Jesus uttered those words to Nick. And the following verses are just as strong, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."

The Lenten Journey turns bright when we allow all that God has offered to us through His Son Jesus to be real and personal in our lives. It is a defining moment of faith to receive, believe, and share that we belong to God because of God's love given to us. We need that to help us defeat the doubt, the weight of our guilt and sin, the stress of anxiety and worry; and to say, "I'm not alone, God is with me, and together we will defeat all that comes against us!" And that will be true. Friends, others may be looking towards us even now in hopes of finding a glimmer of hope for themselves; and if we allow it to shine through, it will bring blessing to them, and to God's work. Let's make defeating the devil a priority; his message stinks, no, reeks of death and hopelessness; we must be the sweet aroma of life to all who need it.

PRAYER: Loving Father, lift our spirits high above all that is weighing us down; and lead us on paths of righteousness for Thy name's sake. May we see beyond the shadows to the light that shines brightly above all things; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a shadow-buster today in someone's life!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Keep Me From Stupid Sins!

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Hear the devotional read here: http://bit.ly/384HFf2

1 God's glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. 2 Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening. 3 Their words aren't heard, their voices aren't recorded, 4 But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere. God makes a huge dome for the sun - a superdome! 5 The morning sun's a new husband leaping from his honeymoon bed, The daybreaking sun an athlete racing to the tape. 6 That's how God's Word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset, Melting ice, scorching deserts, warming hearts to faith. 7 The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. 8 The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes. 9 God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree. 10 God's Word is better than a diamond, better than a diamond set between emeralds. You'll like it better than strawberries in spring, better than red, ripe strawberries. 11 There's more: God's Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure. 12 Otherwise how will we find our way? Or know when we play the fool? 13 Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh! Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin. 14 These are the words in my mouth; these are what I chew on and pray. Accept them when I place them on the morning altar, O God, my Altar-Rock, God, Priest-of-My-Altar. (Psalm 19 The Message Bible)

A gracious and blessed Thursday to you ConCafe Family; and may the joys of life bring you an abundance of peace, dear Friend! May the blessings you seek for your prayed for's bring you deeper faith is my prayer. I trust that this finds you well. May our time be a blessing to your soul is my desire.

Years ago, prior to the reading of the scripture for the day at a national campus ministers event, the preacher shared a story of a young man who went on a spring day's walk through some woods. The day had been specially made for a walk; the sun was bright but partially covered by clouds, the air was crisp and clean, and the morning was decorated with the scent of fresh flowers. Birds added their song to the young man's soundtrack as did bees buzzing about. As he ventured further, the man felt he was not walking alone. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he saw that he was being stalked by a bear. The bear appeared to be thinking of his next meal and this young man was just what he ordered. The young man not wanting to be a Door Dash delivery, dashed as fast as he could through the trail away from the bear! He kept turning to see if he was indeed making any progress away from the bear, when he felt the sensation of falling! He had come to the edge of a high cliff and down he flew. Thankfully he grabbed wildly and caught some exposed roots which stopped his certain death from the fall. As he's holding on for dear life, he peeks down and sees that some hungry wolves were aware that Door Dash had indeed delivered their next meal (This is not an ad for Door Dash). The man then heard the gnawing of teeth on the root by some rats who were helping themselves to a root snack, which also happened to be his life line! The man looks to the root and notices that near the roots were some wild strawberries growing, plumb and red. The man reaches and takes one and eats it and says, "How delicious!"

The campus minister then went on to describe that life is like that sometimes. We venture out on a walk and then life starts to close in on us, we may even find ourselves falling and barely escaping, while still facing another certain death, but when we look closely we can find in God's word, something delicious. And indeed, as we read the psalms or the gospels or Proverbs or any passage, we find just what we need regardless of that which is around us.

David has penned such a "strawberry" in this passage. The language of this modern version paints such a delicious picture of what God can and does do for us by sharing His word with us. God's revelation as shared in verse 7, "is whole and pulls our lives together." Many have been the times we could have fallen apart, but reading and praying over our scripture reading has pulled us together and helped us see that God has shown us the right road. "The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy." And later, "God's Word is better than a diamond, better than a diamond set between emeralds. You'll like it better than strawberries in spring, better than red, ripe strawberries."

And the taste of forgiven is sweet, too. Sweeter than California strawberries in the spring, allowing us to know that our slate has been wiped clean and our prayer can truly be, "Keep me from stupid sins." Amen.

PRAYER: Loving Father, for the sweetness of Your Word I am thankful and blessed; for the hope You share through it, I am made stronger and more hopeful. May the taste of ripe, fresh, sweet strawberries as found in Your Word bless me over and over; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Help someone find the "strawberries" that will bless and keep them today!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

The Big Ten

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Please listen to the devotional here: http://bit.ly/3kCjs4W

1 And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:1-17 RSV)

A wonderful Wednesday to you awesome ConCafe Family! And may God bless you with opportunities to witness to the love Jesus has placed in you today and all days, is my prayer for you, dear Friend. I urge you to prayerfully consider the huge responsibility we have as followers of Christ to do what is best for our neighbors; and I am not making this political, I am making this practical. We should continue to wear our masks to prevent the spread of this deadly Corona virus that is robbing families of key family members. My cousin Xavier Jimenez was a husband, father, grandfather, brother, son, uncle, cousin; so many things to so many, and now he is being mourned. You might remember he lingered in an ICU for many, many days, having good and bad days; hopeful and no so hopeful, until he died. I think of the pastor from Skidmore, who on his first Sunday at that church accompanied his small congregation to Dairy Queen and there contracted the virus and died without having a second Sunday to share with his congregation. Two tragic stories of countless ones you could probably share, too! I praise God and thank Him for those who survived the virus, our own pastor, The Rev. Dr. Matt Pennington included, and we must continue to be vigiliant against spreading ther germ especially the elderlly and those with underlying health conditions. You are too valuable to lose! As are your grandparents, grandchildren, children, and so many loved ones. Please remember the family of Dr. Ross Compton of FUMC-San Marcos; a longtime faithful servant of the Lord who sang in the choir, accompanied a medical team we put together to Puebla, Mexico, where he served as our pharmacist; he was a longtime Scout leader, and a faculty member of Southwest Texas and Texas State's Chemistry Department for many years. HIs granddaughter, The Rev. Kelli Williamson, is a pastor of our conference. Please pray for their comfort during this difficult time of loss. I should mention that Ross died of several health issues including a battle with cancer. May God provide comfort to his family.

Speaking of restraints, here we have the foundational groundwork for most of the laws in effect throughout the entire world. It is known as the Mosaic Code and it predates Roman law and it is known for incorporating humanism and the democratic spirit in written form. I will add that it is divinely-given and divinely-inspired and the reference to humanism refers to asking humans to reach a deeper potential in caring one for the other. The first part of the law refers back to God and God's involvement in their history and calls for loyalty and trust to continue on the part of the people in Him as God. It is God saying, "Remember Who I am; What I can do; and what I expect from you." And as we study each of the commandments, may we see the potential for good in our actions and interactions with others.

The first commandment is a call to trust Him as God. No other gods can take His place. The underlying truth is that there are no other gods anyway, as God's story is shared throughout the pages of the Bible. "You should not have no other gods before me." The temptation was real, and more so as the people of God journeyed from Egypt to the promised land, and in all interactions with other nations in their history. Their history shows they were presented with false gods versus the overwheleming and undefeatable power ot the one true God.

The second commandment is to not make images and call them god. It's almost comical in the Old Testament where the story of told of the man who cuts down a tree, uses part of the lumber to make a fire to cook his lunch, and the other part to make a graven image to whom he gives thanks for the fire and lunch. The lesson is that the creature (you ane me) cannot and should not create things to worship as creator, for we truly know the one Creator, Who is God.

We should not misuse or take in vain, the name of the Lord; for His name is holy and should not be used in profane ways. The sacredness of the name should be limited to worship and praise, not in curses or making vows, i.e. "I swear to God!"

We should set aside a day in which we make it holy; the Israelites believed that six days were sufficient in which to work and do all the necessary things of life, but one should be set aside as a day of worship. For them it was the Sabbath (Sabado, literally "Saturday" in Spanish). We worship on Sunday because we are Resurrection people, whose Lord rose from the dead on Sunday. The day is to be free from work and the mundane things that can take us away from spending connecting time with God.

This last commandment closed off the direct divine aspects of the commandments, and now turns to the human side of what is expected of us. The first human-related commandment is "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." It is both interesting and logcail to start in the home. The ones who gave life to you deserve a special place in your life. And the respect should be our attitude of honor towards them. As a youth I struggled with honor meaning obey, for I found obedience to some things as impossible, and so I struggled with this commandment. Honor is above obedience, though it can and should be closely related; but the commandment is an elevated call to elevate our respect towards our fathers and mothers; and this is the only commandment with a promise.

LIfe is sacred, and the taking of life is not acceptable with God. The commandment says, "You shall not murder." It is a commandment to respect life. A lot of debate through the ages about what this commandment truly means and where it can and should be applied. A pure view has God being the only One who can make such decisions over life and death. A positive response among believers is to give life and build up others, rather than to kill and tear down. Jesus' take was to explain it as even anger being a way of murdering others.

"You should not commit adultery." A life lived in respect is a life seeking to keep the commandments. This commandment is directed to the sanctity of marriage and how imporant it is for God's commandments about marriage being holy, and to take the spouse of someone else is a violation of the commandment.

"You shall not steal." If ever you've had something taken from you, you know the validity of this commandment. Sadly, still other take what is not theirs. Respect what is not yours, and respect what belongs to others.

"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." Tell the truth. And more so if you're called to testify in court. Apparently, this was, and continues to be, a common thing. God calls us to rise about the harmful and hurtful.

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." The intent to take or to possess what is not yours is just as bad as taking it. The desire becomes so strong that God sees it as a sin; control your desires and your thinking, and you will be halfway there to the desired place where God would have us all be.

We can see how key these ten commandments are to divine and human relations. It is not just about keeping the law, it is about keeping God and His love in our hearts, minds, and spirits so that we give no room to allow temptation to rule and ruin our lives. Seek a way to live a life above the way that has, sadly, become acceptable and run of the mill; our call is to rise above and be an example to others.

These commandments never will go out ot date or style; they are God's law and by grace we can live lives that give witness to God's grace and peace as God has offered these to us first. Let us be living sermons of what God has, is, and will do, for all who seek Him!

PRAYER: Loving Father, speak to our situations in ways that we not only understand, but obey and follow. Urge us to live lives that bless You and Yours; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Seek to be the best you can at doing your best!

Receive my blessing of peace and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

God's Foolish>Human Wisdom!

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18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25 NRSV)

A Blessed and Marvelous Tuesday to you all ConCafe Family! And wonderful opportunities to further your meaning and purpose in life to you, dear Friend. May we pray that we all may be so filled by God's Holy Spirit as we live, share, and be the Gospel to all people. May our hearts be filled with more love in ways to share with those who lack it. Please make time to pray for the needs on your heart, mind, and spirit.

My Sociology professor one day asked how many of us were wearing a cross or carried a cross. Several raised their hand. The professor then asked, "If Christ had been executed on the electric chair (yes, this was some years ago, and that was Texas' mode of execution in those days), would you were a little electric chair on your necklace?" Hmm. The question was more for discussion than anything else. But the cross represents much more than a method of execution; it is a symbol of life, and hope, and power, and peace; and all that our faith represents to the world. It is foolishness to the nonbeliever to see anything other than a way to die in the cross. The cross was the common man's way to die as a shameful punishment; a deterrent to others who thought about committing crime. Just as Christ associated with life in His baptism; in death Christ died among, and considered by some, a common criminal. Remember that on HIs right and His left, two thieves were crucified with Him. God knew this was to come and so inspired the writer who wrote the quoted passage, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning will I thwart." And in all ways, God had indeed thwarted the "wisdom of the world." And while some wished that God would have ended Jesus' ministry with an inspirational way, Yet, think back to how Jesus entered the world; was He not born in an obscure little town in a stable, and placed in a manger since the inns of the day were full? In the same way that Jesus was not born in a palace, Jesus was not pardoned from death by royal decree; the Son of Man died for all people.

Friends, just when we might think we might know it all when it comes to God, and we find ourselves dangerously close to foolishness in God's eyes. Not where I want to be! If moving closer to God makes us look more foolish to the world, that is okay with me, as it should be with you. Nothing will look more foolish and sad, than the look on those who get left behind because of bad choices.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, during this Lenten Journey, speak to me and my inner being about what truly and really matters; I seek to belong to you and be among those who have surrendered to You; increase my wisdom in You. May I embrace being foolish for You regardless of what the world may think and say. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show your love and appreciation to the things that the world may consider foolish; and speak about that to save others!

Receive my blessings of peace and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

God Should be Number One, Always.

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13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:13-22 NIV)

A blessed and joyous Monday to you dear ConCafe Family. And may God open doors that you, dear Friend, did not expect open! Make the most of them for God's glory! I share sad news about my cousin Xavier Jimenez. Yesterday he lost his battle against Covid. He was one of three boys for my uncle and aunt, who also had six girls. The oldest son is all who remains and so this has hit the Jimenez family very hard. I pray God's comfort be with them all. I continue to urge you to wear your masks, wash your hands, and if you have a chance to receive the vaccine, please receive it. I'm old enough to remember having to receive the smallpox, polio, and the yearly flu vaccines. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves. A special Happy Anniversary of 18 years to our daughter, Saraí and our son-in-law, Eric Cortez! God bless you with many more!

The temple in Jerusalem, though no longer standing, still evokes many things for those who have visited it. A proud symbol of the tremendous blessing the Israelites had received from God, a reminder of who they were called to be, and a place to worship God. At the time of the events of this passage, it was a gathering place for many believers, especially those from foreign places. The most common offering was a sacrifice offering of animal life and blood, and so the temple managers had accommodated ways to make this part of worship easier, and more profitable for them. Being Passover, the crowds were tremendous; it was a cash payday for all the sellers and the money changers. The only smiles on their faces were from the profits they knew they stood to make during this important holiday of their faith. Into this walks the Son of God. It may have been that when He was twelve year old that the temple still held a more respectful and worshipful atmosphere, and for the boy making His first trip inside this sacred space as a man, He may have been oblivious to it, but I prefer to believe it was not yet what He countered during this day we are reading about; Jesus has a keen mind and details like those would not easily have escaped Him, or He knew and believed He was not yet in a position to do anything about it at age 12.

The scene is wild! The man who had just entered as a welcomed guest into the city has made a whip out of cords and begins to use it to drive out those money changers and animal vendors. He used His strength to overturn the tables and scattered the coins everywhere. The word this version shares are, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father's house into a market!" It prompted the disciples to remember the verse, "Zeal for your house will consume me," for indeed it had. Of course, the Jews in charge questioned His authority to do such a thing; to which He says, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days." Jesus referred to His body, but the Jews countered that the temple had taken forty-six years to build, and scoffed at the idea that Jesus could rebuild it in three days. Once the resurrection happened the disciples realized this was exactly what Jesus had spoken about. It served to strengthen their faith.

During our lifetimes we have seen our own churches undergo various transformations and changes, some of which may have even motivated us to ask where is God in all of this? When I have preached this passage I have asked if turning our sanctuaries into flea markets might not upset some and displease God. I always think of a church in South Texas who built two huge barbecue pits that in my opinion screamed, "Tithing not important here! We will sell chicken and beef plates to make ends meet!" No bueno. I think of another church who during this time of Lent use Fridays to sell fish plates to make ends meet. I am not condemning these methods, but I do question the leadership for placing more value on these methods than in speaking the truth about giving. If God is number one in the hearts of all members, He will move among them and help them give in ways that bless His work without shifting the emphasis of those ministries away from Him and onto the world's methods. And I always question myself as to what I am doing to promote God rather than other things that removes God from His proper place in our lives and hearts. From page one on, God's holy word speaks of the number one place He should have in us. May this bless us in that journey.

PRAYER: Loving Father, speak honestly to us, and especially to me as I pray, about what and how I am to more faithfully and fruitfully serve You. May all of our resources build our spirits and make our faith stronger; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Overturn the tables that have taken the place of God in your life right now!

Receive my blessings of peace and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde