Family Matters

Image from pastorsblog.com

20 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” 22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” 23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.” 31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” 33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:20-35 NIV)

A blessed Monday be yours, dear Friend, and may you find ways to bless God today with your words, actions, and thoughts. I pray God's comfort be with all who lost loved ones in the service of our country. Our life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness came at a great price, paid by those who gave all. May this Memorial Day strengthen our resolve to find alternative ways to end conflict between nations.

Every family usually has an oddball or a weirdo. And if you don't know who in your family it is, then it might just be you. I will raise my hand as the odd one in my family. And that's about all I'm going to say. Okay, I am kidding about all this, but today's passage points out that in some families there may come points where other members of the family may request a meeting or a sit-down, or an intervention. The family will say that because of their love and concern and also as a way to to figure out what has caused this behavior. In today's passage, Jesus' family decides to intervene in His life; for reports of His behavior and actions had reached them and they may have truly thought that only a crazy man could be capable of saying and doing the things that Jesus was doing. "He is out of His mind" is not something that one likes to hear; and Jesus probably expected it.

Jesus' reputation had reached the point where He could not go anywhere without the crowds gathering to hear His sermons and witness His miracles. AT this point of His ministry, eating was almost impossible with so many people crowding in, and then to add the pressure of His family coming to confront His sanity. And let's add to this scenario, what the religious leaders were saying too; "He (Jesus) is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons He is driving out demons." To these, Jesus gives them an audience. "How canSatan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying hi up. Then he can plunder the strong man's house.Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever basphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin." Jesus makes a good argument, more so when we understand that people, i.e. the religious leaders, and others, that Jesus was possessed by an impure spirit. It was here that the family arrives to confront Jesus. They send someone in to bring Jesus out, and the person calling him said, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for You." Jesus asks, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Then addressing those seated around Him He said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

The kingdom of God does not do away with family, rather it expands it. Jesus was not denying His mother or brothers or sisters; He was including all who do the will of God. An important truth about God's kingdom and God's love; there is always room for you, and for yours, if you're willing to do the will of God. God's kingdom is inclusive; all are welcome. God's kingdom does not exclude anyone. Jesus came for all the world (re-read John 3), and He seeks not to condemn the world, but to include all who want to be included. To do the will of God, means we seek to follow what God asks of us, trying to seek to keep that which God sets as the norm for serving God and God's people. Please recall the story of Jesus when he mentioned the son who left to live the life he always wanted. The father of the boy did not want to hear the son's confession and contrition; "Father I am no longer to be called your son..." The father orders a celebration to celebrate his son's return back into the fold; the father knew his son's heart was right and his desire was to do all the father might ask of him; such should be our hearts when we realize we have strayed and have stayed away. Even the older son's anger did not get him thrown off the ranch; the father understood his heart and did what he could do to keep the son both on the ranch and in the family. The only sin that upsets God is when we say things that are not true about God's love and God's desire to have us in the family. It will be an eternal sin to speak falsely about God and God's heart.

PRAYER: Loving God, fill us with Your Spirit to live as Your children and Your servants. Make us people of love and service, generosity, and goodwilll. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show love to all people today!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Bravo, God, Bravo!

Image from hope68.com

Listen to today's devotional here: https://bit.ly/3bW7srY

1 Bravo, God, bravo! Gods and all angels shout, "Encore!" 2 In awe before the glory, in awe before God's visible power. Stand at attention! Dress your best to honor him! 3 God thunders across the waters, Brilliant, his voice and his face, streaming brightness - God, across the flood waters. 4 God's thunder tympanic, God's thunder symphonic. 5 God's thunder smashes cedars, God topples the northern cedars. 6 The mountain ranges skip like spring colts, The high ridges jump like wild kid goats. 7 God's thunder spits fire. 8 God thunders, the wilderness quakes; He makes the desert of Kadesh shake. 9 God's thunder sets the oak trees dancing A wild dance, whirling; the pelting rain strips their branches. We fall to our knees - we call out, "Glory!" 10 Above the floodwaters is God's throne from which his power flows, from which he rules the world. 11 God makes his people strong. God gives his people peace. (Psalm 29 The Message Bible)

Thursday has arrived, and may it be for you, dear Friend, a tremendous day filled with joy and peace, wholeness and healing for you and those who matter to you; and may your response be to those who matter little if at all, in ways that bless God!

This psalm, in various translations, uses words to begin this psalm that we do not normally use in our everyday language. The word bravo, and the word ascribe, are not what we would call common words. If you were to tell a friend or a colleague, "Ascribe to me what you have learned from me..." their response might well be, "What? Wait, wait, what are you talking about, ascribe?" And that's okay. Ascribe means to give credit or affirm. "Why didn't you say that to begin with?" And this modern version, The Message, uses bravo. Bravo might be a word you use at a soccer game, or the end of an opera. But in everyday life? Hardly. Bravo is a praise exclamation; and you begin to get the idea that the psalmist had when he wrote this psalm. As he often wrote and sang, "God deserves our praise!" So, you get the idea. David loves God and is not ashamed to say it, or sing it, or write it. And neither should we! God is without competition anywhere, and David says all the heavenly beings should acknowledge that by shouting, "Encore!" There's another word, but most of us know it means, "Do it again!"

The attitude towards God should begin with our awe, upon that awe, we add our respect and honor, because God deserves it. And we join with the forces of nature as they applaud and honor God in their own way; thunder, lightning, floods, the crashing of mighty cedar trees by God's thunder; the animated mountain ranges adding their contribution to the praise that God deserves. Mountains, deserts, oceans, join rain and the falling of branches, all shouting, "Glory!" Above it all, God is on His throne watching and being honored; all the while God is making us strong, and giving us peace.

This is the bow tie that wraps all the scriptures for the week together; the gospel lesson calling us to new birth; the epistle relating the coming of the Holy Spirit, the vision of the spiritual chambers of heaven with God calling all to service and witness, and this psalm that says, God is in control; always has been, always will be; and He will give us strength and peace through the spiritual connection we are asked to have with Him.

PRAYER: Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth; and while You are at it, renew, refresh, rekindle, and reenergize us for Thy service. Break the bonds of obstacles and worry; mend the breaks of emotion and physical bodies while healing us, and make us whole to better serve You; this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name; the name above all names, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a servant today to all you come across with needs.

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Life in the Midst of Death!

Image from newlifenarrabri.wordpress.com

Listen to the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3oOufei

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." 4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" 6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: "Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out." 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!" (Isaiah 6:1-18 New Revised Standard Version of the Bible)

Happy Wednesday to all of you, ConCafe Family! And blessings designed just for you, dear Reader, be just what God has ordered for you! I thank God for having seen the pictures of my cousin awake and looking good and sharing comments about her being alive thanks to prayers lifted on her behalf! May we continue to pray, with faith, for those who have asked us to pray. Pray for one another, and pray for yourselves.

Our Old Testament professor used to say that we Americans, not having a monarchy style government, could not understand this passage fully. Israel, during the death of this beloved king, was in deep mourning. Some of you reading this can remember the USA during the death of President John F. Kennedy, and how somber that time was for our nation. I was in fifth grade so my appreciation of the full impact of that death is limited. I remember though, the devotion of time on the three networks to coverage of the death, the who behind it, the swearing in of a new president, the blood-covered dress of First Lady Jackie Kennedy, the salute of John-John as his father's casket passed. I remember the train ride of the funeral procession, and the impact this had even on Thanksgiving Day. Even that, our professor would argue, does not compare to the depth of grief on the part of Israel on the loss of a good king. He was considered good because of the political and military successes Israel had under him, and the way he was able to receive payments from foreign kings. The king died as a leper and his later years were not the best of his life; but his death was significant enough to measure the year with what happened in the life of the prophet.

Isaish finds solace in this time of mourning by being taken into the presence of Heaven and seeing the Lord seated on the throne. He was able to gaze at God and the angels that attended Him. The chatter among them was about life and not death. They each called to the other, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory." God's holiness knows no end nor does it ever pause. As the psalmist said, "He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps," and this is evidence of that. And it was a point of decision for the prophet for he realizes just who he is; and that usually happens to the soul who has an encounter with the sacredness of God, a realization of our worth and our complete and total need for God. Hear Isaiah's plea, "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of uncleann lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" He declares that He is lost and struggling. He acknowledges that his sense of direction is off, and he is lost; and he realizes that he is a man of unclean lips, admitting that he has used his mouth to utter things other than holy and worshipful ones. And he realizes that he also lives among those who also have unclean lips, and even at that point, he has been able to see the King, the Lord of hosts, the Author and Creator of life. It is at his invitation that one of the angelic hosts purifies him. It seems a horrifyingly hot ordeal to be "cleansed." The seraph declares, "Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out." This, though, I should point out, takes place in the spiritual realm where pain is not a part of the reality, so while a live coal has touched his lips, it is cleansing not ony his lips, but his very soul, for his sin has been blotted out. And it is at this point of his purification that Isaiah hears God's important question that God still asks, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" I heard that, as has almost every pastor who has heard God invite and call them into ministry; and those in the spirit who hear and respond can say, and do say, as did Isaiah, "Here am I; send me!"

God was not looking for another king; God has those realms covered. What God needed, and still needs today, are those people of faith who will step up in faith and declare, like the ancient prophet, "Here am I; send me!" I love the line from the sacred hymn, "still the sturdy dreamers answered, 'To the death I follow Thee; Lord we are able, our spirits are Thine!'" And God will use us just exactly where He needs us; and more than that, He will provide the words, the situation, the opportunities, the courage, and the boldness to give witness to His love, His plan and purpose, and the light He wants us to shine into the lives still stuck in the darkness of life's oppressive force. I pray that if God so calls you, you will answer in the positive and will go as God calls. It seems almost anyone can be a king; but I believe it's harder work to be a servant of the Most High; for your impact may just save a soul from eternal death and lead them into eternal life.

PRAYER: Loving Father, we are here, and we have heard You calling; fill us with faith and joy, and all that we need to respond to the needs You have around the world. Send us and use us; let us be a part of the force that will win the world back to You; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Find places to give God glory today; be His witness in a powerful way!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Heirs with Christ!

Image from vimeo.com

Hear the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3oM16jW

12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. 18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:12-25 New Revised Standard Version of the Bible)

Happy Tuesday, ConCafe Family! Welcome to blessings anew, dear reader! May this day indeed be filled with new blessings, both expected and unexpected; all designed to make you awesome before God! May we continue to pray for those who have asked for prayer, either for themselves or loved ones; pray for one another (You can say, "Lord, bless the ConCafe reader who lives closest to me! I may not know who it is, but You do! And you know their needs!). And pray for yourselves.

Yesterday, we studied Nick, at Night, getting an important lesson shared with him by Jesus, about the need to be a spiritual person. Today, that point gets driven home by the very first verse of today's passage. We must live spiritual lives, led and blessed by the Holy Spirit, and we need to set aside the things of the flesh. Paul knows and shares this truth: "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." He explains, that by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we were adopted into God's family, and it becomes the Spirit living in us that bears witness to that fact: Eradio is a child of God! Ever since Nellie and I walked the streets of Israel and heard little children running behind their fathers yelling, "Abba!" that we know it is a special greeting, much like our "Daddy!" greeting to our fathers. And Paul says that we, as children of God, are heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; we will receive both the glory and the not-so-glorious things of being children of God as we walk in faithfulness with Him. And, as we suffer the hardships of this life, we know that these temporal things are nothing compared to that which is to come. The day is coming, when you and me, will see the bondage to decay removed from us and we will see, and enjoy, the freedom of the glory coming to us from God; and all the groaning of this body will give way to the songs and shouts of praise that will be ours on that glorious day. For it was in that hope, that you and I were saved. We believed in a hope we could not see, with the surety that one day we would indeed see that hope revealed to us; and that day is soon coming. And while we wait, may it truly be with the patience that only God can share with us.

Dear one, may today be the day when we finally and truly lay aside the desires and the pains of the flesh, to allow them to be replaced by the things for which we hope. Life is complicated, and sometimes life is difficult, but through the good and the bad, we travel in the company of He who will see us through and usher us into the glory of that great day of new life; a life without end, and a new world, without pain. Hold fast to hope!

PRAYER: Loving God, bless me and the reader/listener who lives the farthest from me with a new hope. Lord, I confess I do not know who lives the farthest from me, but You do, and You also know exactly what they need; and I guess someone is also praying for me. As I receive those prayers let me share joy with all who will listen to the goodness that comes from knowing, loving, trusting, and serving You; and I pray in Christ Jesus' strong and powerful name, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Shout your praises in faith knowing that soon they will be the praises that others need to hear!

Receive my blessing of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Nick at Night Shining Bright!

Image from garynealhansen.com

Click here to listen: https://bit.ly/3fHdnlw

1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicode'mus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him." 3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew.' 8 The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit." 9 Nicode'mus said to him, "How can this be?" 10 Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:1-17 Revised Standard Version Bible)

A Happy Monday to you all, ConCafe Family! And may wonderful, unexpected blessings be yours, dear Friend is my prayer for you. May our prayers today be for our pastors. I know October is set aside for Pastor Appreciation Month, but let us pray for those who, in our tradition (United Methodist Church) who are already aware of new assignments they will assume this summer; others are nervously awaiting news; still others wonder about their future as they face the challenges of reality, i.e. fund shortages, decliining memberships, etc. May God bless each and every one of them should be our prayers today, and really, all days. Pray for one another; make time to pray for yourselves.

We tend, or at least I tended to lump the Pharisees in one category. The name itself for a long time held a certain disdain; they were, after all, one of the chief groups who led the charge against Jesus, to trap and catch Him as one who was opposed to the Jewish faith, and a large credit can be theirs for the arrest, trail, conviction and murder. Yet, in all fairness, not all Pharisees were in agreement with their decision to kill Jesus. One of them was named Nicodemus, respected leader of this sect, who studied and followed Jesus, and who questioned if Jesus was from God or not; in fact, reading the passage again, we can see he did believe Jesus was from God. Verse 2: "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him." Again, pardon my reffering back to The Chosen, the tv series on the life of Jesus, but it is an awesome show! In that show, while visiting Capernaum, Nicodemus comes across a woman who is demon-possessed and while so, causes the Roman soliders to be worried about her behavior and disruptions she causes, and orders Nicodemus to do something about it. Nick tries an exorcism and fails. He says all the prayers he knows and is repelled by the power of evil. Soon, word gets to him that this woman is now a different person. Thinking that perhaps, his effort did work, he looks for her and finds it was not him, but someone else who was able to deliver her from this evil. He learns the name of this man is Jesus, and he becomes very interested in finding Him and trying to learn all he can about him, even calling for this night meeting where he was able to question Jesus about Himself. Jesus speaks to Nick about what is real and necessary to truly under Him and His ministry. The first thing, Jesus says, you cannot understand anything I do, if you are not spiritually connected to God. This rebirth, or being born again, means to be born spiritually anew; knowing that staying strictly carnal or physcially connected limits your understanding, it is best to be born from above, so that your mind will better understand the spiritual.

Jesus speaks also to Nick about speaking of what we know, and how easy it is to witness what we see, but yet, if we are not connected spiritually with God, we cannot understand the testimony and works of God. Jesus asks, "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" We see His point. One who does not spend time in prayer, worship, Bible study, Christian fellowship, and other disciplines geared to make us truly spiritual people, we will not truly understand spiritual things. I compare it to my being able to fully understand and enjoy soccer. I know nothing about soccer, and only enjoy the Spanish announcers yell, "Gooooooooalllll!" But, please don't ask me about the cards the referees hold up, or even how much time is left in a game. Nada. It reflects just how much time I have devoted to that sport. Nada. Sadly, there are various areas of my life where I have the same level of knowledge; ask my grandson about gaming; I know nothing about Minecraft, Halo, and other of his favorite video games; and hand me a controller and I will not know the first thing about how to jump, move, run, fight, shoot, etc. The time I devote to God blesses me in the things of God. The things Jesus was sharing with Nick are precisely the things that intrigued him and ultimately made him a believer in Jesus. Nick knew about Moses and the serpent, and soon Nick learned about Jesus being lifted up in the same way, but for eternal life. And then Jesus gives Nick the nugget that has blessed you and me, and so many; "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." And further, "For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

Not a bad meeting for old Nick. He sought answers and he received them in the form of wonderful blessings that I know he did not expect. His perception may have been of a renegade rabbi who was doing and saying disruptive things, whom the Pharisees believed might be leading people away from God, but instead, Nick found that Jesus was doing the exact opposite, speaking life, eternal life, to all who might listen and believe. And, Jesus was speaking love and the fullness of life, which to this day, the Pharisees in my opinion, have not embraced nor understood. One can seek to hold onto tradition and customs and miss the entire point of God's plan. If you don't believe me, next church council meeting you have, propose, just for fun, that you tear down your present worship space to make a new one in another part of your town to reach new people. I'll bring the popcorn!

Seriously, the night was a night of transformation. Nick wanted a meeting; Jesus gave him an encounter. (Jesus is good at thiese! Ask Saul!, now Paul). If you seek Jesus on your terms, get ready to meet Him on His! Jesus has some amazing ideas on how to best live your life, and the only way to discover those is to be born again!

PRAYER: Loving God, help me in my spirit to be born new every morning. Life comes at me hard and sometimes I find myself giving in to human perspectives, like worry, doubt, despair, anger, regret, and a number of other worthless things; help my mind to be new with Your eyes and views. This prayer becomes that of those who seek and want the same for themselves. I want to konw You from my spirit; I want to be born again to know Your love better and deeper and to truly serve You in ways only You can share. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Show others what a truly born from above life is all about!

Receive my blessings of love and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Renew the Face of the Earth!

Image from psalmspirit.com

Hear the devotional read here: https://bit.ly/3ftiypi

24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. 26 There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. 27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season; 28 when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. 31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works— 32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. 35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 104:24-34, 35b New Revised Standard Version Bible)

Happy Thursday to you, ConCafe Family. Be anew on this day, dear Reader by casting your sadness, woes, history into the hands of Jesus. It is He who can take the dirt and muck thrown on us, and make it a healing mud that allows new sight with which to see that what we thought we were facing is not all that bad now! Jesus does that and so much more, if we would but let Him! May our prayers continue for all who are healing and recovering. Prayers for one another. Prayers for us as we seek God during this time of worship and reflection.

We have had some interesting weather in these parts! We have had lots of rain (Thanks be to God!) and other rain-related products we'd much rather do without, like flooding, flash or nonflash, and tornados! Even as late as today our grandson in the Valley said, "It's pretty bad down here in the Valley; the kind of weather I've never seen here!" And about a week ago, under similar circumstances, his sister, Eliana was super worried about the weather and started singing to our daughter Carli, a song that I written for our Carli! It's a simple song that says, "Who takes care of Carli in the middle of the night? Who takes care of Carli when she's had a fright? Who takes care of Carli even when she's alright? Jesus does." And Eliana was using her own name and singing it in faith. The psalmist did that too; songs of comfort and trust, as well as songs of lament and woe; for he knew that in God he had a ready audience of One Who cares and acts on our behalf. The song we heard read right now is a song of praise and thanksgiving. Many are the works of God, in fact, too numerous to count; all made from God's wisdom, including the creatures and all of creation, "both small and great." Having recently to the shore, he had seen the ships and the beasts from the deep that were called the Leviathan; all creatures receive from God their food in due season. God's hand opens and food is shared. God hides His face and the creation gets worried. When breath fades, creatures die and they return to the dust; but when God sends forth His Spirit, they are created; and the face of the earth is renewed. And in the good and the bad, the psalmist sings, "May the glory of the Lord endure forever and may God rejoice in what He has made. God is involved in all of creation and creation reacts to God's presence; and we? We sing God's praises as long as we have life and as long as we have being. May all that we say, sing, and pray, be pleasing to God, for this makes us glad. Sinners, he sings, this is a time to get right with God or be "consumed from the earth; and the wicked will be no more." We bless and praise the Lord!

Again, notice the role and work of the Holy Spirit. It is God moving in and around us, in and through us, and sometimes, even in spite of us; God's will is to be done on the earth as it is in Heaven; and all that God does, deserves God's praise. As I walked through our supermarket here in town, I was immediately drawn to the Seasonal Aisle, the one where the relevant merchandise gets put there to sell; and the crowds in that store along with these brightly colored summer toys and bubbles, candy and towels, all spoke of the joy that many have as summer approaches at full speed. Even the crowds are sensing that joy and are drawn to buy and rejoice in the things that will make this a bright summer unlike the one last year. It is as if the face of the earth has indeed been renewed. Though the virus is still among us, those vaccinated are immune from the ravages that others sadly, did not escape; and the joy of grandparents finally seeing little ones for the first time in months, if not a year, fills all hearts with glee. This, dear friends, is the work of God's Holy Spirit moving among and through us; creation is still happening and earth is glad as we should be also.

PRAYER: Loving Father, come into all hearts with the power to renew and refresh. Erase the pain and hurt that has harbored in the secret places for too long; remove them and fill instead our hearts with joy and love. May each day bring us close to You and two each other; this is our prayer, in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen,

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a part of the renewal of the earth by smiling and laughing more!

Receive my joy and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Got Any Dry Bones in Your Life?

Image from biblia.com

Listen to the devotional read here: https://bit.ly/2S7aGS4

1 The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones: 'Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!'" 5 God, the Master, told the dry bones, "Watch this: I'm bringing the breath of life to you and you'll come to life. 6 I'll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You'll come alive and you'll realize that I am God!" 7 I prophesied just as I'd been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. 8 I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them. 9 He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, 'God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!'" 10 So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army. 11 Then God said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they're saying: 'Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there's nothing left of us.' 12 "Therefore, prophesy. Tell them, 'God, the Master, says: I'll dig up your graves and bring you out alive - O my people! Then I'll take you straight to the land of Israel. 13 When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people, you'll realize that I am God. 14 I'll breathe my life into you and you'll live. Then I'll lead you straight back to your land and you'll realize that I am God. I've said it and I'll do it. God's Decree.'" (Ezekiel 37:1-14 The Message Bible)

Happy Wednesday, ConCafe Family! May the blessings of God bless you Friend into service that brings God to full knowledge in you and all who need that! May our prayers continue for all that need our prayers and God's blessings. Pray for Irene Oakes, of FUMC Gonzales who is having shoulder surgery today. Pray for a successful operation and speedy recovery. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.

This is one of the most fun passages in scripture. I know it was not written wtih the intent to make Eradio smile or chuckle. It has a very serious message, but it is an amazing, almost incredible message. Hint: Our God is a God of life, of incredible acts, and whose message may not always be super obvious to everyone. And is one of those passages, like many in the Holy Bible, upon second or third readings reveal ideas or images not yet realized and it is important to prayerfully and marvelously read each as a surprise message from God. May we be open to new adventures that God may be sharing with us through this reading. Bear in mind that this is done in a paraphrase style with the imagination of Dr. Eugene Peterson, who wanted the scripture to jump out at us in a modern way.

Years ago, my sister had a male friend interested in her. She found him amusing, but did not hold the same serious interest in him as he had in her. Part of it may have been was the fact that he was the son of a funeral director, who owned a chain of funeral homes. As the son and as one who was in training to be an undertaker, he had more than his share of stories of his experiences with the dead. He certainly held our attention and made some of sleep a bit uncomfortably. I won't go into detail! I hope this scripture doesn't frighten you!

The passage begins with the prophet sharing how God grabbed him and sat him in the middle of a most unusual spot; "an open plain strewn with bones." Think of an uncovered cemetery. Okay, for the fearful, don't! This place was covered with bones! Those suffering from ostiophobia please bear with me! This is a word made up for those with a fear of skeletons and bones. But these bones had been so exposed to the sun and the elements that they were bleached. The question that God asks the prophet is one the prophet probably did not expect. God asks, "Can these bones live?" The prophet gives a good response, "Master God, only You know that." I would have silently said that to myself had I been standing near this conversation. He doesn't commit to making himself look foolish or dumb, but hands it off to God for God to answer. Yet, regardless of the answer, God shocks him further by giving him an almost impossible task; "Prophesy over these bones: 'Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!'" Okay. A prophet is the mouthpiece of God and if God orders the mouthpiece to speak to dry bones, then speak! It is then that God speaks directly to these bones with this message; "Watch this: I'm bringing the breath of life to you and you'll come to life. I'll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You'll come alive and you'll realize that I am God!" The prophet was faithful in sharing this message and he hears a sound along with rustling, and the bones moved and came together, bone to bone. All that God said would happen, happened! Fully formed but devoid of breath. Again God gives Ezekiel the command and Ezekiel shares and the breath of life comes and fills the bodies now formed from the bones, and they formed a huge army. God then identifies the army as being the house of Israel, and the prophet hears the voice of this army as they said, "Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there's nothing left of us. Then the word of promise and hope; God will dig up your graves and pull you out alive. You will be taken straight to the land of Israel; and you will be formed as God's people, and you will be people of life.

This passage goes hand in hand with all the passages related to the coming of God's Holy Spirit. It is a passage of life, love, and hope. It is a promise of life beyond death, and life beyond hopelessness. It is also a message of faith for the Church. And it seems today's church needs to hear this. We have many church buildings occupied by people but no mission or vision to share with the world. Some are social clubs to be honest; others are ideology centers, with little to nothing to share about Jesus and His love. Many gather to gather; and scatter just to scatter. The message is clear; invite the Holy Spirit into your life. Think about the "dead" areas of faith in your life, and ask God how to bring life into that part of you. We should invite the Holy Spirit into our churches to give us life and as a result we will have life to share with the people outside of our churches. Being dead is not the goal of God; while we have breath we should thrive in the fullness of life; when we encounter hopelessness, we share hope; when we find some in darkness we have light to share; and for those living Godless lives, we share God.

I say the adventure has been laid out for us; it's up to us to join in or get left behind.

PRAYER: Loving God, fill us with Your Holy Spirit. May He guide us to faithfulness and fruitfulness. May we be guided to respond in loving ways to situations that seem futile. Bless us, bless our families, our churches, our communities, our government; bless all who need blessing in the right way to become the people you have called us to be. Please bless those who are facing need. May we glorify You; we pray in Jesus' strong name! Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Be a conduit of God's Spirit to those in need!

Receive my blessings of love and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

The Birth of The Church!

Image from sancarlosumc.org

Listen to today's devotional: https://bit.ly/33R5moz

1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Par'thians and Medes and E'lamites and residents of Mesopota'mia, Judea and Cappado'cia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phryg'ia and Pamphyl'ia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyre'ne, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God." 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine." 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day. 21 And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' (Acts 2:1-21 RSV)

Happy Tuesday everyone in the ConCafe Family! May God bring you awesome opportuities to witness to your faith in Him! May many come to know the depths of God's love because of you! We heard that Sylvia Gaytan's surgery of the spine went well, but she is in a lot of pain. She said she could feel the prayers lifted up on her behalf, so thank you all! May the Lord bring her comfort and peace during these hours is our prayer. Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.

It sometimes happens. We gather for one reason and another presents itself as an alternative. And sometimes the alternative proves to be the better thing. The Day of Pentecost was already a special day for the Jewish church. It was the day that was used to commerate the giving of the law to Moses from God. It was a special day that drew many visitors to Jerusalem. Verses 8 and 9 give you an idea of just where these visitors were from. While most of these visitors spoke or at least understood Hebrew, they would soon be amazed by a miraculous outpouring of The Holy Spirit. The disciples, being faithful Jews themselves, were aware of the festivities, but were safely hidden in the Upper Room, when a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, that filled up the house where the 12 were sitting. "And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." What were these different languages saying? "The mighty works of God." I may have already shared how some years ago, Nellie and I were part of a medical team to Puebla, Mexico. We took a team of doctors, nurses, and plenty of volunteers to help run a Methodist clinic there. While there we were given two copies of a self-published book by a missionary who had served in that area since the 1950s. In one of the stories shared by the Missionary Dow Robinson, he speaks of how a chief of one of the villages was in a coma and he, as a now respected man of medicine and faith, was invited to pray for him. The chief was an Aztec and spoke only his native language but when he awoke, thanks to God answering his prayer, the chief spoke in Spanish and quoted Old Testament verses and spoke of the greatness of God. He became a believer and led his whole village to Christ. I should mention that Bro. Robinson was of a denomination which does not believe in the work of the Holy Spirit in modern days; the work of the Spirit was only for work such as we read in today's passage and then returned to heaven. Hmm.

This declaration in diverse languages gathers a larger crowd, bewildered by these men from Galilee speaking their languages! Some were bewildered, some were angry and accused them of being drunk "with new wine." It was Peter who saves the day and says the men were not drunk as it was only nine in the mornning, and refers them to the prophet Joel who spoke of the last days when God would "pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; yea, and one my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy."

What this tells me is that there is no limit to what God won't do to get His message to all the world. Someone once said, "Whatever it takes, God will make His love known to all people. Our God is a God of invitation and salvation; and wants to draw all people to Him. No one is turned away; but we are good at rejecting God's love and care. It's the answer to the question, how can a loving God send anyone to hell? God does not send any one to "the other place," we choose to reject that love and go our own way. The manifestation of the Holy Spirit in this mighty way was the birth of the Church. Created by God for God's people; all languages of and for all people, indicating God wanted all people to be a part of the kingdom. This part of the chapter does not tell the complete story, but it shows that as the Church developed, leadership would begin to step forward to lead the way forward. Here we see Peter speaking up, and boldly I might add, to sway the perception of the people away from mockery and towards the awesome nature of God's work of inclusion and salvation. The primary element of Church is worship; and as people heard from everyday folks speaking of the wonders of God, that is worship! That is praise! And to hear from others about could be, as in the prophecies, that too, is worship; Prophetic words must share that which can and should be; a better world until the perfect world comes.

We should think back to Eden. The paradise was not the lush vegetation as it was the relationship between God and His creation. No language barriers, just God providing for the needs of His creation, and God getting to know His creatures with talks and walks. The greatness of God's creation spoke for itself of what God could do; it was after Eden that paradise seemed far off and maybe even unattainable; It took the death of God's own Son for the paradise to begin all over again; God reaching out for humanity, and now humanity could reach back out to God. The Law which had served its purpose in defining the breaks in the relationship is now seen in a different light because God's work through His Spirit is reaching out to all people with a desire to bring in, to forgive all, and to receive all. We will see soon enough that that one day alone brought in 3,000 persons who also desired to know more about God. And that was just the beginning of this massive restoration project of God's.

PRAYER: Awesome Father, bring us closer to You and closer to each other. May we find new ways of communicating with each other so that we might continue the worship and praise that sings of Your majesty and might. We pray for the Church to be triumphant here on the earth as it is in Heaven; this we pray in faith in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Speak a new language of love about God to those you know!

Receive my blessings of joy and love,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

The Counselor and Advocate

Image from agnusday.org

Listen to the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3fr84Xe

26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 NIV)

May a marvelous Monday be yours, ConCafe Family! May this work week be filled with opportunities to share the love and name of Jesus our Lord and Savior, dear Friend. And as we pray, let us lift high the name of God Who answers prayer! My cousin Bobbie Padilla is now fully awake and no longer needs a lung transplant! We remember she had been in a coma due to Covid for a long time, and we rejoice that she is doing so well. Please pray this continue with her. Also, Daniel Soliz was released on Saturday as he expected, and is home; pray that God would bless him with a full victory over cancer. I have not received any updates on James Dorff, but we pray that he be holding his own. Prayers for all the family members of these brothers who need healing and comfort. LAST MINUTE ADDITION! Please be in prayer for Ms. Sylvia Elisa Gaytan of Dallas, TX, who's undergoing a long back surgery. Pray that all goes well and that she recovers quickly. Sylvia is the daughter of retired UM Pastor, The Rev. Francisco & his wife, Elisa, Gaytan of Edinburg. Pray for him and his wife and all family members. Pray for one another, pray for yourselves.

One of the most interesting authors of the New Testament was a non-Jew (Gentile) physician by the name of Luke. He was a convert to the Christian faith by what he experienced in hearing the gospel about Jesus. So intense was his experience he undertook the arduous task of visiting and interviewing as many of the eye-witnesses he could find who could give him first-hand accounts of what they saw and experienced in seeing the Lord Jesus during his ministry among us. So outstanding was his scholarship that he produced a massive volume of Jesus' life and ministry as well as the respond of that ministry that gave birth to the early Christian church. The church councils that viewed and reviewed the book decided that would cut the book into two parts, making the gospel part the gospel we know as Luke. The history of the church was called The Acts of the Apostles. Part of the reason for this division also was that the church authorities believed that more introductory material was needed on the Holy Spirit, so they took the gospel of John called the spiritual gospel in the middle so that people would better undertstand the third person of the godhead. This passage we will study today is part of the desired information the Church wanted us in later generations to have to better receive the work of God the Holy Spirit.

John recorded Jesus as speaking of the Holy Spirit as being first an Advocate. the One who speak on our behalf. An Advocate is fully vested in us and will do all that needs to be done on our behalf to grant us the victory over whatever we are facing. Jesus also said the Advocate would come from the Father, and is The Spirit of Truth, Who would speak on our behalf as a trusted and truthful witness. We too, must testify, but the Holy Spirit gives to us what we should say. The first and best of what we can share is what God has done for us.

The mere fact that Jesus was sharing this was received with grief because it meant that He was going to leave behind His disciples. Yesterday, Nellie and I had a chance to watch a little of The Chosen and I was struck by how much the 12 needed and wanted to have Jesus with them all the time. In one scene, Jesus dismisses Himself as He goes to pray and is met with questions as to where He is going, and how long He would be gone, and where could they find Him in case they needed Him. And we remember that after His crucifixion, the 12 knew only to stay together in the Upper Room behind locked doors. They did not quite understand that Jesus' real presence on the earth after His departure would be the Holy Spirit. "Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. When He comes, He will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned." Quite a work assignment! Yet, it has all been taken care of! The Holy Spirit has taken care of the three; we are to believe and follow the example of each; by staying away from sin, for we know that sin leads only to death. We are to seek righteousness, for it leads to God; and judgement will come to all, with the chief recipient being the devil for he stand already condemned, but we know that we too will stand in judgment for our actions and decisions.

Jesus also promises that "When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that He will receive what He will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what He will make known to you." The Holy Spirit became the way to stay connected to Jesus. He makes truth known and if we speak on behalf of the Lord, we are sharing what Jesus needs shared on His behalf. The primary task is to make known Jesus' name in a positive way (Glorifying Him), and our praying and listening gives us that which we need as we continue our journey of faith in His name and spirit.

This passage reminds me of our children and our grandchildren. They go through different stages of dependency and trust. Our oldest, Nellie Maria, when she learned how to crawl, stayed primarily on a blanket that Mom would put on the floor for her. I remember one night when she crawled to the very edge and stopped, looked back at us, smiled and did her little noise of "look at me," and put her little hand on the space just beyond the blanket. It was solid, so again, she looked back, smiled and crawled off the blanket and onto the floor. She stopped when she was completely off, looked back again, made her little noise and crawled off into the hallway. This was a major achievement from the days when she had to have us in plain sight or she would not be happy. And our newest, Eli Ryan, is stuck on that stage. He only falls asleep in the arms of those who love him. If we try to place him on the bed or his crib, he's immediately aware that we are not with him and he cries. Jesus knew the first steps of these disciples and new believers would be just like that. We measure our steps and feel better knowing we are not alone. The coming of the Advocate was that assurance that the Church still needs to make our way forward and upward. We have One who holds our hands and guides us, if we but trust; but the work on the road ahead will depend on our full trust we place on Him. Don't hold back! There's a great big harvest field ready for the picking if we take the right steps in faith and trust.

PRAYER: Loving God, guide us on, with trust in us. Increase the trust we should have in You so that our progress will be ever forward and upward, reaching those we have not yet reached; and doing that which has not yet been done. Yours is the victory; the kingdom and the glory! Take us with You in that way; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be bold and courageous in all that God has asked you to do! He is with you!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Sin Saloon & Smart Mouth College?

Image from steemit.com

Listen to the devotional: https://bit.ly/3tIwW1U

1 How well God must like you - you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College. 2 Instead you thrill to God's Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. 3 You're a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom. 4 You're not at all like the wicked, who are mere windblown dust - 5 Without defense in court, unfit company for innocent people. 6 God charts the road you take. The road they take is Skid Row. (Psalm 1 The Message) 1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (Psalm 1 NIV)

May a tremendous Thursday be yours, ConCafe Family! And may you blossom and bloom in all ways for the Lord, dear Friend. As we spend time in prayer today, I ask prayers for Mr. Daniel Soliz of Dallas, who has been in the hosptial for six days suffering from a collapsed lung, and the Lord willing, may be discharged on Saturday. May our prayers continue for Mr. Jim Dorff, still in hospice care in Dallas, also. Prayers for both families of Mr. Soliz and Mr. Dorff. Also, please pray for Ms. Juanita Blundell of Gonzales, who faces spinal surgery next Tuesday in San Antonio; may God bless her with a successful surgery and a good recovery. Pray for one another; and pray for yourselves.

The psalm for this coming Sunday is the first one, Psalm 1. For our consideration, I have shared both The Message Bible and the New International Version, so that we can compare the original intent of the psalmist. The modern version brings out the fullness of classic words like blessed, the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. "How well God must like you -you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College." More than likely, you've never read that into the original version. Both are clear that we should be among positive people who love the Lord. Yet, the modern version shows a colorful description of those places of temptation; Sin Saloon, Dead-End Road, and Smart-Mouth College. Now be honest, you know people who fit into one or more of the three, right? This version was written by The Late Rev. Dr. Eugene Peterson, a professor and pastor, and a friend to the members of the Irish rock band, U2. He wanted the Bible to be on a level where most everyone could understand what was behind the scriptures that might not be evident too all people who are not professors or pastors. His descriptions show the seriousness of what could derail the Christian's desire to walk with the Lord. It sounds like the Sin Saloon serves more than drinks; that Dead-End Road does not lead to places of life and life's wonderful opportuunities; and while many of us may have the spirit jersey from our days there, as students or cheerleaders, of Smart-Mouth College. Those from that "school" are not known for motivating or inspiring Christians - their calling is to pull down, or knock down, and generally serve as obstacles between them and the Lord. Compare that to what we should be about: Thrilled to hear and learn God's Word, to the point we feast on Scriptures day and night; which has led us to be like trees planted along the richness of a stream or river, straight from Eden itself; and producing the fruits that bless the kingdom of God, and strong in the Lord, always blossoming and bearing fruit. We are not like windblown dust that the wicked are. The wicked will find themselves without counsel in God's court, certainly bound for conviction and sentencing. Not so for the faithful, for God guides us; the wicked are bound for Skid Row. Which was an older way of saying, a place of desolation and destruction.

I would pray this brings us to a point of reflection. What roads have we taken? What decision have we made? Where do we find ourselves at this point of our lives? Does the future look hopeful and promising, or are we fearful of what may come next. Regardless, God still leads us and the future is not yet; we can change our direction, we can ask for forgiveness, and head where God may be leading us; choosing life over death; the fullnes of life over the dead-end trail of sin. You're not at that point yet! As long as we have breath and reason, let us choose the options God offers us, not what the devil would like us to choose.

PRAYER: Loving God, rekindle in us hope and may the fire of Your Holy Spirit fall afresh on us to make us truly alive and alert to the dangers of some options that have come our way; guide us to the fullness of life so that we may choose wisely and bring honor and glory to Thy name. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Live a life that radiates hope!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

From the Minors to the Majors!

Image from goodreads.com

Listen to the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3y8fhEq

15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, 16 "Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus— 17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry." 21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection." 23 So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed and said, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles. (Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 NRSV)

Happy and Blessed Wednesday, ConCafe Family! May joys be yours today as you move forward in the Lord, dear Friend! Good report regarding Joyce Harris' surgery; all went well, the surgeon is pleased, and we pray for a great recovery! Thank you for your prayers!

The crowd that believed in Jesus and who followed Him around was "about one hundred twenty persons," which includes the 12, minus one Judas Iscariot. The 120 were right there watching and experiencing first-hand the experiences, miracles, rejections, acceptances, et al, that Jesus was doing. I beleive it was a privilege and a once-in-a -lifetime experience to have been right there at the crucial turning event in history; God's Son in ministry in the world in the flesh. Your life would never be the same. The stories you would tell would border on "I can't believe that" on the part of your listeners." I would probably weep at trying to share how I had seen Jairus' daughter brought back to life. I lie, I would be openly sobbing! And there at Lazarus' tomb and seeing and hearing Jesus weep; gosh, again, sob city. Then, the actual coming out of the tomb experience would have been something awesome. I would have known right then that I was now a supernatural person, having seen things that I could not explain. The list would go on and on; and we come to the night that Judas betrayed Jesus. The anger and desire to do something to Judas was hindered by the fear of what the Jewish religious leaders and the Roman soliders were capable of; Judas might be well protected at all times. News of his suicide would have saddened the group even with the knowledge that he had betrayed Jesus; and here in the safety of the Upper Room, this meeting is held to talk about Judas' replacement. Peter calls this person, "a witness with us to His resurrection." Two names are brought forward for consideration as replacement for Judas. The first name was Joseph called Barsabbas, also known as Justus; the second name was Matthias. Beyond their names, not much is known.Some believe him to be among the 70 disciples sent by Jesus on that special mission. Legend also has him becoming the Bishop of Eleutheropolis, where he died a martyr and is venerated as Saint Justus of Eleutheropolis. Yet he was not chosen as the succesor of Judas. The one elected, by a game of chance called Lots, was Matthias. That election elevated him from the minors to the majors, to use a baseball term. But, to have been among the 120 was a major thing in and of itself, but to be selected as one of the Twelve was a MAJOR deal.

Dear one, even today, to be a follower of Jesus Christ, is a major deal. As we read yesterday, God is our witness to our belonging to Christ and as such have eternal life. And as God is our witness, we serve a Risen Savior, and as such we have seen and heard and experienced a lot, in fact, enough with which to share with others about a better way to live. We are the new witnesses like Matthias, of Who Jesus is, and can be, in the lives of those who surrender to Him.

Many ask, "Does God really need more witnesses?" Yes. Honestly, we should be willing witnesses, blessed and thankful for all God has done for us, instead of feeling drafted and pressed into service, and forced to give witness to a loving God. Love God enough to talk positively about God, and realize that in so doing, we might just be saving people's souls for all eternity. This morning I was sitting at the CVS here in Seguin when I heard a loud thump on the window. I looked out and saw a sparrow laying on the sidewalk. It apparently flew into it and was injured. How seriously, I did not know. I went outside and saw it was on its side. I gently turned it and it went on both legs. I poured some water on the lid of my water bottle and placed it in front of it. It did not take the water but opened its beak and closed it, as if saying something and it flew off. As I shared the story with Nellie, she said, "It was saying thank you!" I said, "I hope so!" The thing is, I did my part; small and insignificant as it may have been, and whatever we may do on behalf of helping others to come to life, the impact what may happen does not matter, we have been faithful now.

PRAYER: Loving God, make our hearts swell with love for all. We want to be Your witnesses in the lives of those around us in ways that we share the fullness of life. May our witness be faithful, while we allow the fruits to be Yours. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show a witness for Jesus today!

Receive my blessings of love and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Oh, I Have a Witness!

Image from joshuageneration.org

Listen to the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3ez9oYN

9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. 10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:9-13 NRSV)

Happy Tuesday, ConCafe Family! Wonderful things come to those who trust in the Lord, and I pray you are one of them, Friend! As we pray, please pray for a dear friend, Mr. Rob Rocha of the Dallas area, who finds himself in a lot of pain in one of his ears and as a result cannot hear out of that ear; pray for his healing and his peace. Prayers also for Ms. Joyce Harris of Gonzales, TX, who has fallen and broken her hip and awaits surgery in San Marcos. Pray for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. Prayers also for Ms. Mary Martha Ehrig, who awaits an appointment with an oncologist. May she be blessed by our prayers for healing and strength. Pray for one another, and make time to pray for yourself and your needs.

David Letterman on his television show had a Christmas tradition of having on Mr. Jay Thomas, a radio personality, who would tell the same story each year of hosting a new car dealership opening at which, Mr. Clayton Moore in character as The Lone Ranger. After the opening was over, Mr. Thomas was to drive Mr. Moore to his hotel, and on the way there, in heavy traffic, they could not move. Mr. Thomas is in his 10 year-old Volvo which he said was filled with fast food trash all over. The man in front decides he will not wait and so backs up and breaks the headlight of Mr. Thomas' car. He doesn't stop and takes off. Mr. Thomas and his friend, a music industry representative who had come to visit him, give chase. I should mention that Mr. Thomas said he was the only white guy in town with a huge Afro, and his friend had super long hair. They finally catch up to the guilty party and they cut off his car and confront the man. "You broke my headlight!" The man responds, "I did not!" Mr. Thomas says, "Oh yes, you did!" "What are you going to do about it?" Mr. Thomas says, "I'm going to call the cops!" "Oh yeah, and who do you think they're going to believe? A couple of drug-crazed hippie freaks or me?" At that moment, out pops The Lone Ranger from the car and says, "They'll believe me, Citizen!" David Letterman said it was the best story he had ever heard and thus every Christmas would have Mr. Thomas retell it.

John writes that the best witness we as humans can ever have, is God. When it comes to the matter of eternal life, the witness of God cannot be beat. God has borne witness that His Son died for us, rose from the dead and lives so that we, too, could have eternal life. Those who believe, John writes, have this testimony in their hearts. "Those who do not believe in God have made Him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son." And we know what the testimony is, "God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." And John wrote these things so that we might believe in the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, so that we might know that you have eternal life."

I have shared how many of us, at times, confess we are not sure that we will make it to heaven. "If I get to heaven we say," or "I don't know, I haven't been that good in my life, so I don't know where I'm going when I die." Friends, the witness is ours, from God, that those who have Jesus as their Lord and Savior, have eternal life, which means a life in heaven in the presence of God. Nowhere does the Bible say, "If you are perfect and have never sinned, never had a bad thought, said a bad word, or done a bad thing, then, you just might, and I repeat might, get into heaven..." Nope. That's not in the Bible. Why would the hymn writer write a hymn called "Blessed Assurance?" Why do preachers preach a better way to live and a better way to die, if we were not sure of a better place to which we will go if we belong to Christ Jesus? Doubt and distractions are not from God; they are from the one who would like enough of us to doubt so that we would give up, quit trying to better live our lives, and resign ourselves to the old way of living. Do not be deceived. You and I belong to Christ Jesus and as such should model our lives after Him. God will take care of the rest.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, lift our spirits and our hopes towards You. Guide us on the path that leads to life and let us not be deceived or sidetracked by the enemy. Help us model lives that give witness to what is ours! In Christ Jesus we pray, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Give proof of your faith in uplifting ways to those around you, especially those who live in doubt!

Receive my blessings of hope and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde

Jesus' Prayer for Us!

Image from slideplayer.com

Hear today's devotional: https://bit.ly/2SGh0QX

6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power ofyour name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (John 17:6-19 NIV)

Happy Monday to you, ConCafe Family! May this day find your wide awake, blessed and refreshed, and ready to face the opportunities and blessings of this day, my Friend! We continue to trust in the Lord as we pray for one another, especially for those with pressing needs before the Lord. We continue to pray for my cousin, Bobbie, whom I learned stands in need of a lung transplant. She also lost one of her ears due to her not being rotated often enough in the hospital where she is. Prayers for her husband and family. Make time to lift your needs before the Lord.

This weekend was Mother's Day. And I remember the day when it was the busiest time of the year to use the telephone. Some of you may not want to admit you remember long distance charges, but you do! A call from one city to another, depending on distance and other factors, could be an expensive enterprise. And many made a call to Mom so they could wish her a happy and blessed day. The telephone company loved the holiday as much, if not more, than Hallmark Cards! What I miss most about my parents being dead is not talking to them. The first years were the toughest when we had so much to share about our daughters and their accomplishments and development. It was such a joy to share with Mom how much they looked like her, shared some mannerisms, did great in school, and the list goes on and on. The silence now is tough.

And while we may not have long distance charges any more, communication between loved ones is important and vital. With almost everyone having a cell phone and most have free long distance calls covered, making and receiving calls from parents and children is relatively easy. Getting your kids to leave a game or a chat with a special person, well, that's another thing altogether. With communication devices as modern and as effective as they've ever been, communication between loved ones is not what it used to be, or what it should be. And prayer, as easy and as powerful as it is, runs a close second, some would argue, first, in neglect and usage.

Today's passage is all about prayer and the special place it had in Jesus' life. It was His lifeline and life of support. Jesus was truly a man of prayer. We can't forget He was fully human and fully divine. He needed and loved prayer. It was His way of staying in touch with His Father; He could share what was on His heart and mind, and God would respond to Him with exactly the words He needed to hear and use. The pressures and stress of this world on His life and ministry made prayer vital to His success. In this passage, Jesus is openly talking to God and sharing just what has been happening in His life and in the life of the twelve whom He called into ministry with Him. And in the opening verses of this passage, Jesus says clearly that He is praying for them, "for those You have given me, for they are Yours." Wow! Jesus truly loves and wants to bless the twelve in marvelous ways. He knew what lay ahead for all of them, and prayer would be the only way all of them would make it. Prayer is like those phone calls I would make to my Mom when I was in college and starting to have exams and tests. I would study but I would also wait in line for the one pay phone in the dorm. Kids, ask grandma or grandpa what a pay phone was. Ours was a super interesting, to put it nicely, because there was only one operator at night in Jacksonville and sometimes her questions were more than what one would be willing to answer. I cannot remember the exact conversation I had to have with her and still could not get her to dial my home phone in Houston. Question after question, and probing ones at that, and I finally said, "Never mind, I'll send a carrier pigeon!" I told those waiting to use the phone, "When she calls back, you don't know my name or where I went!" They laughed. I think they had been through that before as well. The phone call that did matter was when I could speak to my Mom, answer her loving questions and then share with her the upcoming exam. "Have you studied?" Yes, ma'am. "Are you ready?" I will be! "Mom and I will pray for you." Yes! That's what I wanted and needed to hear; that prayers would soon be on their way to the Throne of God where these two dear ladies would plead on my behalf the great need that I had shared with them. Jesus' prayers were a bit more stressed than mine, and I respect and honor those; but you get the point - we all need to stay connected, and in touch with God our Father. Jesus mentions key words and ingredients of prayer; glory, protection, power in God's name, safety, joy (a full measure of such), and protection again. Oh yes, sanctification by truth, and the commission to go into the world to work on God's behalf. It is important to note that such work is best done under the covering of sanctification; the purifying power of God's sacredness upon us; a purifying and making holy of us, is a process that takes all our lives to accomplish. Remember Wesley's added dimension, that he expected to be made perfect in love in this life. Not by his own strength or merits, but by those of King Jesus at work in us. My phone calls to my mother and grandmother were the assurance to me that I would be under the protection of God in my academic journey at college and beyond; an armor plating on me that I needed as I waged war against him who would have rather I do something else with my life.

Dear friend, what battles have you been fighting, and how have you clothed yourself? Paul made it clear in his epistle that fighting the battles against the devil are best fought wearing the armor of God; and this prayer shows that Jesus was way ahead of Paul in asking such clothing for Himself as well as His disciples, for He knew they would win in the end, thanks to the nonstop prayers He lifted up on their behalf; and when we ask of Him, on our behalf even today. There is no need to feel weak, or vulnerable; with Christ Jesus praying on our behalf, more than half the battle is won; our faith and our obedience will carry us on through, and God will receive the honor and the glory and the blessings shared will bless those with whom we live and work.

Pray. Pray. And pray again. Develop a holy habit of constantly praying in your life. Thought prayers, silently lifted up, are heard by God. Prayers of moans and aches of pain are also lifted up and interpreted by the Holy Spirit; we are not now, or ever, alone. We stand in the presence of He who loves us and goes with us. Take full advantage of that today!

PRAYER: Loving God, as we pray, we pray that Your will be done in all that we are facing. We pray for strength, wisdom, courage, and the faith to be obedient and triumphant. Lift up our sorrows, hears our sighs as praise, and our cries as that which will bless us ultimately; in Christ Jesus our Lord we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Pray for as many people as you can today; ask God to give them for whom you pray, victory after victory!

Receive my prayers of victory for you!

Pastor Eradio Valverde

¿Siempre Lo Mismo? Always the Same Thing?

Image from youthguy07.blogspot.com

Listen to the devotional here: https://bit.ly/3xMoWjz

1 Sing to God a brand-new song. He's made a world of wonders! He rolled up his sleeves, He set things right. 2 God made history with salvation, He showed the world what he could do. 3 He remembered to love us, a bonus To his dear family, Israel - indefatigable love. The whole earth comes to attention. Look - God's work of salvation! 4 Shout your praises to God, everybody! Let loose and sing! Strike up the band! 5 Round up an orchestra to play for God, Add on a hundred-voice choir. 6 Feature trumpets and big trombones, Fill the air with praises to King God. 7 Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, With everything living on earth joining in. 8 Let ocean breakers call out, "Encore!" And mountains harmonize the finale - 9 A tribute to God when he comes, When he comes to set the earth right. He'll straighten out the whole world, He'll put the world right, and everyone in it. (Psalm 98 The Message Bible)

A very Happy Thursday to you ConCafe Family, and my it be filled with blessings for you, wonderful Friend! May we together lift up our prayers and praise to the Lord today, not only in this devotional setting but in our ways of greeting, blessing, and interacting with others!

This coming Sunday is Mother's Day. It is a special day to honor our mothers. For some, it is a sad day because Mom has gone home to the Lord; others rejoice in having their moms; others are moms for the first time; and it really honors (or should) the women of the church for many are "mothers" in their own way to many. So, a Blessed, Safe, and Happy Mothers Day to all of our female ConCafe Family members! May God bless you and provide for you according to your needs.

Along those lines, what gifts does a mother deserve from her child? Well, let's start off with the obvious, love. A child that does not love his or her mother may have their reasons, but if those reasons are not truly justified, then some corrections, conversations, and remedies need to occur. The second gift should be the gift of respect. Yes, no mother is completely perfect and neither are we; but for their role in having brought us into the world, they merit top respect; and even if that was the last good act or deed she has done for you, still, you need to show respect to her and of her to others. And when you get to other gifts, well, that's between you and your pocketbook and your relationship with your mother. I say all this because this psalm as it speaks about our relationship with God, we are called to do more and go beyond what we normally offer. Yes, another dish towel or oven mitt are nice gifts, but if that's what she got last year, she may catch on that you don't want to go beyond the usual and share something that inspires her to greatness. Fathers, you know about ties. Remember ties? That long piece of fabric with designs not usually found in nature that begs us to place a noose around our necks thinking it makes us look nice. Okay, I will confess that I both love and hate ties. I don't much for what has become the norm of no tie and just a jacket and a nice dress shirt; but I am old. But when it comes to God, are we sharing with Him spiritual oven mitts and ties all the time?

The psalmist is saying, as we praise Him you might be inspired to sing a brand-new song that more aptly reflects the love and appreciation we have for God. After all, the psalmist writes, God made ''a world of wonders," and are we truly comfortable honoring and praising Him with something not wonderful? As "God rolled up His sleeves," to "set things right," so should we worship in a way that shows our hearts and souls and might were in the preparation and delivery of our worship to Him. After all, this gift of salvation is a pretty big deal, which means in God's heart, we're a pretty big deal and as such, should honor Him in the same way. I think a failing of the Church, which means I have had a part in it, as have most of us; is that we get comfortable really quickly and once we're in that "recliner mode" of praise, nothing can get us out of it. I once did a series of sermons on the Ten Commandments and I had our janitor bring in an old recliner we had somewhere in our building into the sanctuary and I came in wearing a bath robe over my sweatpants and sweat shirt; I came in with my piping hot tea and a copy of the Sunday newspaper. Most of the service I did not participate; I sat comfortably while everyone else stood and sat, prayed and sang; I sipped and read. Yes, I angered my choir, but what else was new? I then rose and preached that the commandment on coveting hit home in me. Yes, there are some Sundays, I admitted where I would rather stay home than come and preach and worship. But, thanks to God's help, I overcome that and fully and wholeheartedly, participate in what is a very real part of my life. But, boy is that temptation strong to stay seated, or reclined, or even in bed; when we should be inspired and moved to worship God in new ways. The psalmist has painted a great vivid picture complete with sound, of what a full-blown worship experience can be, if we but let it and do the work needed to make it meaningful to God and to us.

Oh, but God bless those who oppose such things. I can still remember the "guitar wars" of the 60s; and I've heard about the "electricity wars" of the 20s, the "microphone wars" of the 30s and 40s; the "air conditioning versus funeral home fans" wars of the 50s; and the 90s "screens in the worship space" wars of the 2000s; and the list goes on and on. We must remember, we are there to worship and please only God. Not us. And though there may be opposition, God must be worshiped in ways that honor Him in the way God deserves. Nature, the psalmist writes, is far ahead of us; nature does not know how to hold back anything, and neither should we.

PRAYER: Awesome God, please forgive our sameness and our reluctance and our holding back. You are a God who goes and does; and still find it in Your heart to love and forgive us, in spite of who we are. Move us to truly worship you with truly open hearts and filled spirits, for You are truly worth it. Move us to greatness in the ways we show the world how truly awesome You are; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Worship in a new way right now, right where you are! And practice that until the next time you are in church!

Receive my love and blessings of joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde