God Comes Through!

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1 I give you all the credit, God - you got me out of that mess, you didn't let my foes gloat. 2 God, my God, I yelled for help and you put me together. 3 God, you pulled me out of the grave, gave me another chance at life when I was down-and-out. 4 All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God! Thank him to his face! 5 He gets angry once in a while, but across a lifetime there is only love. The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter. 6 When things were going great I crowed, "I've got it made. 7 I'm God's favorite. He made me king of the mountain." Then you looked the other way and I fell to pieces. 8 I called out to you, God; I laid my case before you: 9 "Can you sell me for a profit when I'm dead? auction me off at a cemetery yard sale? When I'm 'dust to dust' my songs and stories of you won't sell. 10 So listen! and be kind! Help me out of this!" 11 You did it: you changed wild lament into whirling dance; You ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers 12 I'm about to burst with song; I can't keep quiet about you. God, my God, I can't thank you enough. (Psalm 30 The Message Bible)

A blessed and tremendous Thursday bless you, dear Friend, into the fullness of life as offered to you by Jesus Christ. Someone may be waiting just for you to share with them a wonderful word of life and love. Measure your words, load them up with kindness and love, and sprinkle a bunch of hope on them! And watch what God will do with that gift you will share! As we pray, let us continue to pray for the precious twins born a couple of days ago. I was blessed to have seen pictures of them; both are coming along. The boy is named Creek and his sister is Boe; coolest names, no? Boe is still breathing with assistance and Creek is breathing on his own. May God richly bless them. Baby Hudson is holding his own but still needs our prayers. Rev. Gomez is coming along. The goal is to get him off the ventilator and out of ICU. May our prayers help that happen sooner rather than later. And may God richly bless you!

The psalmist again shared a strong message of gratitude towards God because of God's amazing ability to come through right when we need Him the most. Who hasn't been in a mess? And regardless of how you define it, we do find ourselves in messes from time to time. And usually those messes need someone or something to help us out; usually God. In this passage the mess he found himself in was quite possibly a mess that could have led to his death and so he's thankful that God stepped in and saved his life. Who wouldn't be? God is a giver of second chances, and third chances, and beyond! God has pulled you and me from the grave and given us new hope when we thought we were done for. Ours is a God of love and justice, thus the references in this version to God getting mad from time to time; think parent with disobedient kids. Our times of mourning and sufferings last only for a moment and give way to times of laughter.

We all have our good days and bad days. LIfe would be boring if every day was the same. We've even conditioned ourselves, I believe a good number of us, to fear good days; but come what may, God is with us. The psalmist thad that faith that allowed him to have good and bad days, because the days did not define him, nor shouid the events of our days define us; our definition should be the One who made us, loves us, guides us,, and blesses us. If we root ourselves in God, live in God, and seek to follow God, we will be blessed and will bless others. We need a faith that can cry when we need, crying with others as need be; and laughing when we need to, and helping others laugh. Our life should proclaim that God can and does come through for us. The real challenge is for us to come through for God.

PRAYER: Loving God, bless us with a strong faith that proclaims Your love and power to those who have not yet heard and follow You. May we bless You in all things and all ways; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share your witness with someone who needs a boost in faith today.

Receive my blessings of joy and hope,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Transformation Power!

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1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5 He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. 10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord." 11 The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." 13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name." 15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." 17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God." (Acts 9:1-20 New Revised Standard Version Bible)

A wonderful Wednesday begins with time spent with God, so my prayer for you, dear Friend, is that this be the most wonderful Wednesday you've had in a while. May our time with God begin with prayer thanking Him for the prayers answered and for the needs still before Him. The twins' mom is now with them in the same hospital; no report yet on their condition, nor from Rev. Roberto Gomez, or the others for whom we are praying. We pray in faith knowing that God answers prayers.

Our story is about a prayer that was answered by God in the way the prayee did not expect! The pray-er was a well-educated man who truly and honestly believed that he was doing the work and will of God. His political and personal connections allowed him to get permission from the Jewish leaders to arrest and prosecute Christians. And from what we can gather from scripture is that he loved it. He was on the way to Damascus where he knew some wicked, evil Christians were meeting. On the road to Damascus he was knocked off his high horse onto the ground; all caused by a bright light from Heaven around him. He heard a voice asking him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He naturally asks, 'Who are you, Lord?" He did not expect the reply because the voice said he was Jesus. Yes, the same one Who had been killed by the same leaders who gave Saul this permission to go and lock up the Jesus-people in Big D. Jesus did not get angry nor chastise Saul for his actions; all He told Saul was to get up and go into the city and await there further instructions. Meanwhile, the folks traveling with Saul could hear Jesus' voice but saw no one. And Saul realized he was now blind even though his eyes were open, so the men led Saul by the hand and brought him into Big D. For three days, possibly the most powerful three days of his life, Saul was blind, he neither ate nor drank anything. During these three days he was in seminary, taught by Jesus and having secrets and the future revealed to him. And he also had a vision of a man named Ananias who comes into his room and lays his hands on him and he regains his sight.

Now in another part of Big D, there is a Jesus-person who loves and prays to Jesus and Jesus comes to him in a vision and tells him to "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul." The Lord tells Ananias that Saul is praying and he has also had a vision where you have come in and laid hands on him and his sight is restored. Ananias says, "Hold up, Lord; you say this man is the notorioius S-A-U-L? This man is wicked and has the papers to kill believers; don't think I'm much inspired to head that way!" Jesus said, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he will suffer for my sake." So Brother Ananias goes and lays hands on this once evil man and he says, "Brother Saul (notice they're now related by faith and by the Blood of Jesus!), the Lord Jesus, Who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Bam! Jesus anointed this lay person to anoint Saul with the Holy Spirit. Friends, this was major. Saul now can leave this place with the blessing and love of Jesus AND the power of God's Holy Spirit to do his ministry. Saul now can see and eat and drink and once regaining his strength he goes with other Jesus-people for fellowship and he immediately (I stress immediately) he goes to the synagogues to preach Jesus as the Son of God. Woo!

Dear friends, here's the thing. One can plan the path they desire out of life. And this can be done with or without God, or in Saul's case, even knowing that God is involved; but God will have the last word and God will show you the path that best serves Him. All of the training, education, connections gained, will still serve you in very positive and powerful ways to serve God in the path that will bless you and utilize you. Imagine a very shy young man hiding from God getting trained in a top-rated marketing school? That training helped some of the shyness go away, but showed that using a phone, knocking on doors, visiting businesses, meeting new people; all will bless the path God had shown you. That shy young man was me and my time with Southwestern Bell. I never dreamed I would train in an elite setting to sell phones and then use that training to share Jesus with the world. God will find you and God will guide you. And more importantly, God will bless you.

PRAYER: Loving God, here I am, send me to wherever You have planned for me. I know it may not always be easy, but it will always be a blessing for Your work. Guide those close to me and prepare them to join us to make real Your love here on the earth. Please continue to bless those for whom we are praying with healing, strength, and comfort; this we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be bold in sharing Jesus today!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Heavenly Worship of Jesus!

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11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 singing with full voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, "To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" 14 And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5:11-14 NRSV)

May the Lord bless you on this Tuesday, dear Friend. May the wonders of God shine in and through you as you seek to bless others throughout this day. At this writing I am thanking God for some much needed rain. It is such a pleasing sound to hear rain on our room. May God renew and refresh the earth and may we be a part of this renewal too! May we continue our prayers for the newborn twins in San Antonio, the recovery of pain and hypertension of Mrs. Gaytan, and the continued recover of Rev. Gomez. Late night word is that he was placed back into ICU as he had some complications today, Monday. Late minute notice from Mission, Texas; prayers for Mrs. Gloria Martinez of El Mesias UMC, the church I pastored for 11 years. She suffered a stroke tonight (Monday) and is recovering well. Pray for that recovery to continue. Gloria was a faithful woman of God and a leader in our church. Pray for one another, for the various needs shared with us and the needs of the world. Also, Mrs. Gloria Neri Duran, from Harlingen, TX, is close to passing from this life to the next, and we ask prayers for her to be comfortable and peaceful and that God's will be done. Prayers for her family as they have said goodbye to her but are mourning this moment. Gloria's sister was one of my staff members at First UMC of Harlingen and I ask prayers for her as well; Isis Montes.

Heaven is a realm that is on another level beyond most people's grasp of understanding. The Apostle John in receiving the vision wrote as told by Jesus, and in his vision was allowed to go in to Heaven's realm to write what he saw. He hears and sees the wonders of another world. He saw angels. Many of us have seen or been blessed by the works of angels, but no one that I know of has ever seen an angel. John saw many angels. And he heard them all. The passage says "myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands," meaning a great number too great to count. All of them were singing in full voice a song that goes, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessings!" The Lamb that was slaughtered has received gifts that the dead would not normally receive; but this was not an ordinary lamb, this was the Son of God, the Lord Jesus, Who is endowed with the ways and means to bless humanity; which He has, is, and will always do. The heavenly choir is aware of the Lord's power and mission and so they sing praises of worship and honor for Him to continue this important work. Then John hears every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, meaning every possible realm, singing as well, their praises to Jesus, for He is the One who is "seated on the throne," and He is the Lamb, who deserves and receives blessings and honor and glory and might that He will have and use now and forever and ever. And the four living creatures share their "Amen!" The elders present at this worship fall down in worship.

Our finite minds cannot begin to understand the joy and blessings that this scene is meant to convey. We have, thank God, caught glimpses of glory here on earth and when those do come, enjoy them and remember them, for one day that will be our reality and our joy. For now, may each answered prayer, each blessing, each unexpected joy, hug, kiss, and sweet and kind word shared with you reveal to you what is yet to come in bunches!

PRAYER: Loving God, bless our finite minds with the abilities to enjoy the precious glimpses You so lovingly share with us. May we endeavor to be glimpses that bless others by living in love with all people; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a glimpse of glory for someone today!

Receive my love and blessings of peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Here's Jesus! Again!

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1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus ), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”“No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” 16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” 17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (John 21:1-19 New International Version Bible)

Happy Monday, dear Reader!  I know, I know; not what you like hearing on most Mondays is it?  But, with Christ in our lives and fresh in our hearts, every day is a blessed and wonderful day, and so it shall be!  We pray it is.  We pray for one another.  We pray for the needs of those whose hearts are hurting from different occasions, expected and unexpected; difficulties and others challenges; but God has us and God will see us through!  Pray for those on your prayer lists and hearts; pray for the needs of the world, especially peace in Ukraine.  And may there be peace in your heart knowing that you are loved by God, by me, and by many, some known and some unknown.  I thank God that my Nellie is on the mend and this is thanks to God and the way He answers prayers.

Happy Easter!  Put away the Easter bonnet and dress, the coat and tie; not necessary unless you want, but it's still the Season of Easter.  Christ is risen and has been since the actual event some more than 2,000 years ago.  But physcially he appeared to His disciples to confirm their faith and confront their fears.  This is one of the stories that John tells to share how he was blessed by the Risen Christ   It started this way.  The disciples were now away from the Upper Room and on the shore of the Galilee.  Peter, who was still stinging from his denial of Jesus, but thankful that Jesus had indeed resurrected from the dead, decides they should do what they knew best as a way of distraction as well as providing food for them and their families.  The others decide to join him and so they spend all day fishing and by nightfall they had caught nothing.  Early the next morning, as they're still in the boat, they see someone on the shore.  It was Jesus but they did not recognize Him.  Jesus asks them, "Friends have you caught any fish?"  The answer was a painful no.  "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some."  Here is where the discussions start.  Peter was a professional fisherman.  He had the trophies and cash prizes from Gulf Coast championships he had entered. Oh the arugments he and Mrs. Peter had when he sprung for the bass boat he had wanted for Christmas!  The key thing was 1) Obey Christ. 2) Try a new approach 3) Try a new direction 4) Don't be surprised by the large catch!  Because that was exactly what happened; the haul was huge!  

The second part of this pasaage deals with Peter personally and his responsibility before the Lord regarding the believers.  This is a pivotal moment in Peter's life, for he has been forgiven and restored for his actions the night of Jesus' arrest.  A dear, long time friend and reader of this devotional, and a faithful devotional writer himself, asked me what was the difference between the repentance of Judas and Peter.  I replied it had a lot to do with the actions that followed the moment of their repentance.  Judas went and killed himself.  Peter went on with his ministry and becomes the leader of the movement that is the Church today.  And Peter had this chance to see Jesus and to be blessed by this interaction where Jesus asks Peter if he loved him.  It is very touching to read what Jesus asks and what Peter answers.  Peter answered yes three times.  And three times Jesus tells him, "Feed my lambs," "Take care of my sheep," and "Feed my sheep."  Jesus wants all of His disciples to be involved in the care and feeding of His sheep.  Our lives should be lived in ways that invite and challenge others to come to faith, and in ways that help nurture others in their spiritual hunger so they are indeed fed by us.

The last part is a personal message to Peter about his future and his death.  Peter would live to be an old man, but the day would come when he would be led away to to his death which was by crucifixion.  Peter when he realized he was to die in the same way as his Savior, asked that he be crucified upside down since he was not worthy to die in the same way as Jesus.  And the passage ends with Jesus once again inviting Peter to "Follow me!"  Indeed, may we always know that regardless of our errors, sins, missteps, and shortcomings, Jesus still loves us and wants us to follow Him.  May it be so.

PRAYER:  Loving Father, fill us with all we need to be faithful and fruitful in our living for You.  May we indeed bless others with words and actions that care and feed others.  Forgive us for the times we fail, but open our hearts and ears to always hear You, especially when You invite us to follow You; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!  Love the Lord.  Love the Lord's Lamps.  Love even the goats who need to become Lambs!

Receive my blessings of peace and encouragement,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

We Must Obey God Rather Than Men!

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27 When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us." 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than any human authority .30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." (Acts 5:27-32 NRSV)

A blessed and joyous Wednesday to you, Eradio is my prayer. May we continue to pray for one another, pray for our brothers and sisters who have asked prayers from us. We pray in faith because God answers prayer! Pray for peace in the Ukraine, and peace in the hearts of those who lack peace.

Here we find the story of Peter and the disciples being "called on the carpet" for their continued sharing of Jesus. They stand before the council, aka The Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews in Jerusalem. These were the men behind stopping Jesus. Or, so they thought. Peter and the eleven continued doing what they had been taught, what they saw and experienced, and what they knew they had to do. They had been witnesses to life, a life unlike one they had lived prior to coming to faith in Jesus, and so there wasn't really an option not to do what they were doing, and to stand in front of the council was just another opportunitiy to share Jesus and His message as they had heard it. To hear, "We gave you strict order not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching (Sounds like they are doing a great job!) and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us." And their resposne shows where their hearts were; "We must obey God rather than any human authority." The one who knows, loves, trusts, and walks with God, knows their first and only loyalty is with God, and God's teachings and instructions. To come so far and have seen so much, they knew they had to share Jesus. They continued their defense, "The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, Whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree." Please note they pull no punches; they say what they knew to be their truith; We share the same God for our ancestors are the same, yet you killed Him by hanging Him on a tree. "God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior that He might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins." They continue preaching that which they knew; God has chosen Jesus to do what Israel needed; A call to repentance and the offer of forgiveness of sins. Though these men were the ones with blood on their hands, they still stood in need of asking and receiving forgiveness of sins and receiving the fullness of life that Jesus intendend for Israel.

They close their defense with this statement, "And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit Whom God has given to those who obey Him." When you experience what Peter and the eleven had, they were witnesses. They saw what they saw and never would they forget that. An eyewitness to history never forgets nor shuts off the sharing of that experience with others, even those who were responsibile for having caused such an event. They further risk anger by saying they, the disciples, were among those who had God's Holy Spirit as their witnesses, and God only gives this to those who obey Him, meaning that those on the council were not obedient and thus were unaware of the Holy Spirit. Yet, I truly believe had any member of the council desired to repent and draw near to God, they would have been forgiven and welcomed. I think of dear Nicodemus, a member of the council who had become a believer in Jesus and I believed, a witness blessed by God to have the Holy Spirit accompany him for the rest of his life.

You and I are witnesses to the mighty works of God in our lives. We have seen too much to ever keep quiet about what awesome God could do ahd has done in us. And there is a whole lot of folks who have yet to hear.

PRAYER: Loving God, we have seen and heard and experienced so much, that we cannot be quiet about You and Your love. Embolden us to share with certainty the news that You are awesome and You love us all. Remind us that we must be obedient to You always; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Share with faith that which has blessed you!

Receive my blessings of hope and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

He Who Was, Who Is, and Who Is To Come!

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4 Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:4b-8 NRSV)

Happy and blessed Tuesday, dear Friend. May our prayers, our actions, and our thoughts reflect our commitment and faith in Christ Jesus! And may our prayers include Baby Hudson, who still needs our prayers. Pray that divine wisdom come to the doctors as they treat this precious baby so that soon Mom and Dad can hold and enjoy this gift from God. Pray for one another; lift your needs to the Lord, and continue to praise God for this Easter season!

What an incredible memory I have of standing in the cave where the beloved disciple John had the vision from the Risen Christ about what was to come. In vivid description, Jesus shared information for specific churches concerning important matters for the Church. We should know that God desires us to have peace. In yesterday's gospel lesson, Jesus appears to the disciples and twice He says, "Peace be unto you." And in today's passage, He, God, says it again, along with the seven spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus too! He who is "the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." Peace! And the reminder of that which we too easily forget, that you and I were made to be "priests (bridges between God and humanity) "who serve God in bringing glory and dominion forever and ever." And then the reminder that Jesus will be returning in "the clouds; every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and on His account all the tribes of the earth will wail." And it will be as God is proclaiming it. And we hear what God wants us to hear now, and which we will hear again when He returns, "I am the Alpha and the Omega (The A to Z)," 'says the Lord God, Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.'" Hallelujah, amen!

Grace and peace is ours. Let us receive it with joy and hope. Let it help us face doubt and fear with the strength of God with us, and move forward to helping others to continue life with hope. Happy Easter! The resurrected Christ is with us!

PRAYER: Loving Father, into Your hands we commit our weakness and receive from You our new strength. Into our hearts and minds we receive Your grace and peace, and we join hearts and minds with the knowledge that Christ will come again! Hallelujah, amen!

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Shine Jesus in the dark and fearful places!

Receive my blessings of love and hope,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Knock, Knock; Who's There?

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19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus ), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” 30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:19-31 New International Version Bible)

A blessed Monday of joy and peace to you, Friend, and all the ConCafe Family! I pray this finds you rested or on the way there after this Easter Holiday weekend. I pray that God was glorified in your heart and spirit and that you experienced the Risen Lord among you. I pray that our connection with Jesus continue each and every day in our worship, work, play, rest, and all that we do. May we continue to pray for one another; pray for our brothers and sisters in need; prayers for peace in the Ukraine.

The entire Resurrection event was a supernatural one. Jesus coming back to life was not expected, and for many, not believed. Death up until that point was a point of no return. Everyone dies, but no one is supposed to come back to life. The resurrections that Jesus performed with Lazarus, with the widow's son, Jairus' daughter, were prembles of what was to come in His life. And the story we just heard was to further prove the power of God in Christ to defy nature. The atmosphere in the place known as The Upper Room was tense. Fearing the Jews and their thirst for blood from any and all who were associated with Jesus, they believed they could easily be next, and so we see that the door to that room is locked. Jesus enters the room without having to unlock the door and knowing the fear was in the room, He speaks to it by saying, "Peace be with you!" And to address any doubt they may have had about the resurrection, He shows them His hands and side. The hands held the nails and thus the open wound on them; and His side had been pierced by the Roman soldier's sword. It was an invitation for all to behold Him as He was after all He endured. Nothing could have said Doubt Be Gone more than this appearance. But, as always happens in families, work settings, and many other settings, one of the 11 left, was gone. It was Thomas. Yes, he of the same fame we know him by, Doubting Thomas. He of international repute among the Indian people who came to faith in and through him. St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis is the long-lasting tribute to the offspring of such believers in India; Mr. Danny Thomas. You see kids, many of the boomer remember the show Father Knows Best in which Danny was the star. Years before he became an actor, he was broke and struggling with doubt and so he prayed to Saint Jude, the saint of lost causes. As a result of that answered prayer, Danny started this hospital for sick children in honor of the saint. Evidence of a Christian faith that has held deep in that life.

Yet for this pasage, Thomas shows up as most would say, a day late and a dollar short. He does not believe his brothers in the faith when they said Jesus had appeared. In fact, as we read, he defiantly says, "Unless I see the nail makrs in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." Ouch. Honestly, he was saying what many of us might be thinking too had we been in the same position. And one week later, and again, through locked doors, there is Jesus saying again what scared believers needed to hear, "Peace be with you!" And coming straight to Thomas He says, "Put your finger here; see hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas is convinced by these word and declares, "My Lord and my God!" No more doubt! Doubt has been replaced by faith and a declaration of faith in Jesus as Lord and God.

Jesus says to Thomas, and to us as well; "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." So, if you believe Jesus rose from the dead, you are blessed! And this means you have also accepted the joy and responsibility to tell others about His resurrection. As the passage ends we hear that this appearance is among "many other signs" Jesus performed in the presence and benefit of the disciples. These, I would remind you, are not recorded in this book of John. But the ones that are serve to help us believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name," Amen.

PRAYER: Loving Father, count us among the believers and those blessed by faith. Help our numbers grow, help our opponents shrink; chief among those doubt and misgivings we may have. Help us be bold about our faith in helping the weak, and converting the nonbelievers; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Show your faith to those who need to see faith in action.

Receive my blessings of grace and hope!

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Forgivness of Sins in the Name of Jesus!

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34 Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." (Acts 10:34-43 NRSV)

A blessed and safe Wednesday to you, ConCafe Family and to you, dear Reader, is my prayer for you. Let us continue to pray for one another, especially those who need our prayers and support. Let us pray for our needs to be ever before Him, and let's pray for peace, joy, and the wellbeing of all the world.

We come to the sermon of Peter after he received an important lesson from Christ Jesus Himself. He had just learned that God loves all people of all nations and he, Peter, was wrong in judging others without coming to know each person of a different background, race, or country. God shared with him a vision, while he was praying of a net filled with all kinds of animals and knowing Peter's hunger, spoke to him, "Arise, kill, and eat." Peter objected saying, "Lord, never! I've never eaten anything unclean!" And for three times this vision repeats the same. Finally, God says, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." And as this vision closes, in walk the soldiers of a Roman officer who had been told by God to send for Peter to visit his home. Had this vision not come to him, he might have rejected the invitation of Cornelius and the matter, in Peter's mind, would have been closed, but the deeper intended revelation would have been missed. In reality, Paul was already visiting and converting Gentiles and now Peter, the chief of the disciples learns the truth of God's awesome love for all people.

No better time for you and me to learn this lesson if we have not yet learned it. All people stand in need of Christ's love and it matters not where they were yesterday, last year, or at the time of their birth. At the present, Christ stands ready to forgive all people who come asking for forgiveness. For it is in Christ Jesus that all who ask for mercy, will be shown mery; and it is in and through Christ Jesus that this forgiveness comes. Such was the reason the good news spread from Galilee, through Judea, and to the ends of the earth. Jesus, anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, healed the oppressed because God was with Him, and the disciples, including Peter, were witnesses of this; and though Jesus was hanged on a tree, He was raised on the third day and He appeared to many as proof of this great resurrection power. And we, who are witnesses to His love and mercy, are to share that with as many as we can, by whatever means we can, so that the world may come to know God.

Today can be a day of decision for you, dear friend, if you have nto come to know the good news was so that you and I could believe and have our lives transformed into faithful servants of the most high God. If we do not know we should accept all people and love them, that change can happen too, if we would but turn ourselves over to God. And this, because we pray there is still time for this to happen in us!

PRAYER: Loving Father, bless Your children to come to know You as the God of love and to become people of love who seek to bless the world with the awesome message of forgiveness of sins and transformation of all people. Use us and empower us to carry the good news; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Share a joyous form of love to someone you don't know yet today!

Receive my blessings of love and peace in Christ Jesus,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

He is Risen!

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1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. 11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for? ”Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:1-18 NIV)

A blessed and happy Monday to you, dear Reader, and all of the ConCafe Family! May God's rich blessings follow you throughout this week as we begin a very special Holy Week. May we pray for the family of Mr. Bill Pollard of Edinburg, Texas. Bill passed away on Sunday, April 10th after a short illness. Bill is the husband of The Rev. Norma Hinojosa Pollard of El Buen Pastor UMC of Edinburg. May God's comfort be with her and her family. Also, prayers for our youngest grandson, Eli Ryan Muñoz, who has a virus. He's had a fever, has vomited some, and just is not the energetic ball of fire that we're used to! May God's healing touch be with him. Prayers for one another. Lift up your prayers to the Lord, and continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. Prayers for our pastors who begin this special week and who need our prayers of inspiration, strength, protection, and victory!

This is the Victory passage as was shared by the Apostle John. John is believed to have been the youngest of the Twelve, and his autobrographical information is hinted at in various parts of this passage. This passage is from that Sunday we call Resurrection Sunday or Easter Sunday. Early in that morning, it is a woman, Mary Magdalene, who comes to the tomb to, she believes, to prepare the body for burial. As the passages from the other gospels shared, a major concern for those who would be preparing Jesus for eternal rest, worried about how they would be able to get the huge stone to be rolled away from the tomb. Yet, here was the tomb open! So she returns to the Upper Room and tells the disciples that the tomb is open. So Peter, among the oldest of the 12, runs, as does John the youngest, and of course, John wins, but stops at the entrance of the tomb fearful of what he might see inside. The older Simon Peter, enters and finds the linen wrappings that had been placed on Jesus; it was John who enters next and the scripture says that he believed. And they retuned back to where they had been staying, leaving Mary alone. She was crying for her Master and as she peeks inside the tomb she sees two angels seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head, the other at the foot, and they ask, "Woman, why are you crying?" She can only say that they have taken away her Lord, and knows not where they had taken Him. Then Jesus Himself asks Mary why she was crying. "Who are you looking for?" Mary thinks this man has to be the gardener and demands to know where he has taken the body. The Risen Lord calls her by name, "Mary." She knows His voice and exlaims, "Rabboni!" It is assumed that she tried to hold on to Jesus for He tells her not to hold on to Him for He has not yet ascended to the Father and to go instead to her brothers and to tell them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." She runs back and as charged, tells the men: "I have seen the Lord!" And she also shared the other things Jesus had told her.

God trusted this woman, Mary Magdalene, with the task and joy of sharing with the Disciples the Good News of Resurrection. She returns back to eleven disciples of whom only one at this point believes that Jesus has been raised from the dead. Of the one hundred twenty five followers that came to Jerusalem with Jesus, only one man and one woman believed that Jesus had indeed defeated death and sin by coming back to life. Of the 125, only three were strong enough and brave enough to go to the cemetery in the dark to prepare His body for burial and while expecting their task to be tough instead one finds faith in Jesus to truly beat death; the other, the woman, comes to faith in having seen and spoken and even touched the Lord; and Peter, well, he knew something had happened but was not yet sure of what that was. All of those present for Good Friday would come to full faith, for the Lord appeared to them and to many, to prove that He was indeed risen.

We come back to 2022 A. D., Year of Our Lord. The question is what do you believe? What do you proclaim and share with others? Do you know that there are many who have yet to hear the Good News of God's love and of God's power to raise the dead? And that that same God has the power to remove our sins and make us whole. It's not a victory if you don't believe enough to make it your victory. Yes, many in the world believe and day by day God is reaching more and more, but until we make the decision to believe and accept, our work is not yet done. Won't you come to faith in He who defeated death and sin, because of His love for you?

PRAYER: Loving Father, we celebrate this entire week with all that it holds for us. We want to see Jesus in our lives and He risen and among us in incredible ways. May we seek to share the good news with excitement and passion for we truly believe and accept that all of this was done for us; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share the excitement of hope in your life with someone today!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

This Is What It's All About!

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16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17 New Revised Standard Version Bible)

Happy Thursday, dear Reader! I pray this finds you well and blessed! I'm happy to report that Mr. Emmit Currie's knee replacement surgery went well and he should be on the road to mending as we read this passage. Praise be to God! I just called The Rev. Michael Dobbs for an update on his condition and he's still in the hosptial as of Wednesday afternoon, and doctors have ordered him to bed rest for two weeks as he is that contagious, to quote him. So, prayers for his two churches who will find themselves without his leadership for Holy Week and Easter. May God bless Michael with healing and his churches with peace. Pray for one another; pray for your leads, and pray for God to be glorified during this sacred time of Easter upon us!

This verse is the goalpost sign of years past, but it is the goal of our lives; to know and accept that God loves us so much that He gave us His only Son. For you youngsters, during NFL games on national television, a man would purposely buy seats under the field goal post and hold up a sign that simply said John 3:16. Many knew what it mean and to what it referred, but comics and some sincere people asked, "Who's John? And what does 3:16 refer to?" And I knew that to be quite true because from 1980 to 1986 I taught Bible at Pan American University (now UTRGV), and my predecessor said, "Don't take for granted these kids know anything about the Bible. And he said he would dedicate one class period to introducing them to the names of books in the Bible, and how the first number refers to the chapter, and the number after the colon refers to the verse, and that was very helpful. Those who did look it up began to understand the why behind showing the reference to what many consider the key verse in the Bible? The verse comes in the famous meeting Jesus had with Nick at Night; Nicodemus wanted to know more about Jesus and Jesus blew his mind by saying one must be born again, and making this awesome declaration of truth. God wanted the world to know that He does love the world and because of that great love, He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish but may have eternal life.

The reality of the times was there was really no major emphasis being preached on eternal life. The consensus of most scholars of the time was that life was brief and when it ended that was it. I had friends of the Jewish faith who believed the only way they could live on was in the good memories of family and friends. Not a very attractive thought, but it was seen as more sensible and so it was embraced and accepted as truth. And here comes Jesus to teach something different; that God was love, that God loved us, and loved us so much He wanted us to live with Him for all eternity. The other option is mentioned in this verse, "perish," and reinforced by verse 17, "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him."

Salvation. Accepting that in Jesus we are saved from our sin, and saved into an abundant life. It means the start of a relationship with God through Jesus for today, tomorrow, and all eternity. It means basking in the love of God as loving Father, sheltering us under His wings as a loving mother hen, and living a life here that blesses others until we arrive to our eternal destination where we will reside with God for ever and ever. This is what Palm Sunday ushers in, and you and I have invitations and front row seats! And then we have the responsiblity to go and tell somebody about this.

PRAYER: Loving God of life, bless and protect Your children on this day. As we end our Lenten Journey, speak to our needs and remind us of Your eternal love. Put us in to serve anywhere and any way you want; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show others the love blessings you have received from the Lord!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Behold, Your King Cometh!

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9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9 NRSV)

Happy and Blessed Wednesday, ConCafe Family! Blessings to you, Friend, as you wind down your Lenten Journey! May the face of Christ shine brightly on you this day and alll days is my prayer for you. As we pray, please lift up Mr. Emmit Currie as today he undergoes knee replacement surgery in Gonzales, TX. May all go well and may God's peace be with Marie, his wife. Please continue to pray for Baby Hudson as on Monday he underwent a tracheotomy and is doing well after that procedure. He is facing another surgery and many repairs will be needed for his eventual arrival home. Pray for this little guy that God surprise the doctors with His healing power on this precious baby. LATE PRAYER REQUEST: The Rev. Michael Dobbs, pastor of Mathis and Alice UMCs, is requesting prayer. He has a bad case of the flu and is in Doctors Regional Hospital in Corpus Christi for overnight observation. Pray that Mike beat this flu and return home quickly! Pray for one another. Pray for your needs. Pray for the needs of the world.

If you ever have a chance to visit the Holy Land, please do. Nellie and I were so blessed in making our first trip there as retired folks. How I wish I had been able to go as I was starting my preaching career because the Bible came alive with the places we saw and the unexplainable sense of power and strength in that place knowing that Jesus our Lord had set foot in and around those places. A dear sister from our church, Mrs. Jenice Benedict, wrote after her visit to Jerusalem, "I stood looking at that very gate outside of Jerusalem and imagined all that is described (in the passage from Luke 19:28-40). Still give me chills." Indeed. Jenice wrote a very moving book on her family, that focused on her patriarch's years of ministry which I found very powerful and very smiliiar to my ministry as well. I recommend her book, "In the Land of Cotton," which is available on Amazon.com.

The prophet speaks to "Daughter Zion," which is another name for the people of God, aka Israel. And also to "Daughter Jerusalem," telling them of their need for them to rejoice. This event that was comingl would be something to behold. I wonder if the prophet Zechariah, was allowed to view the entrance into Jerusalem on that day. I can't begin to imagine what goes through a prophet's mind and heart to be led by God to write about an event, so awesome, yet have no idea what it was all about. As I said yesterday, the prophet's job is to speak for God, not interpret but to share the desire of God to share a glimpse of the hope that should be eternal in our hearts, minds, and spirits. I would believe the prophet was humbled by the role, but would downplay anything of significance or importance, rather pointing to God as the Author of Hope and love. The late Mother Theresa of Calcutta, when asked about the importance of her role in helping the sick and dying of Calcutta, would respond she was simply the donkey on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem. And another Catholic saint of many years past, would always end his daily and nightly prayers with "Your mangy donkey," and say his name. One night when this saint was in a dark alley a mugger came to rob and kill him, when out of nowhere came a strong man who easily handled the would be killer and caused him to run off. The saint wanted to thank him and ran to him and tried to hug the man, who simply said, "No thanks are necessary you mangy donkey." This let him know the rescuer was an angel sent by God for no one knew he closed his prayers by referring himself as a mangy donkey.

And so it was that on a donkey, the prophet says, will come the king of Jerusalem and Zion. And this king will be a triuphant and victorious king, who is also humble and riding on this donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will never forget that a member of my church, who was also our veterinarian, in San Marcos, on one Palm Sunday, after church that for Jesus to be able to ride in on an unbroken colt was in and off itself, a miracle.

The entire day's event were the product of God's loving hand. For God's only Son to enter Jerusalem to fulfill history's greatest event, and it had to be done in God's marvelous way. We note the qualities that God attributes to Jesus as being fulfilling and significant; that the king comes into Jerusalem, riding a donkey, not a white charger; and with qualities not usually found in human kings, yet triumpant and victorious in the ways that matter, over sin and death. The impact of that day still impacting humanity even today.

PRAYER: Loving God, may we open our hearts as like those of Jerusalem, to welcome in the king in a triumphant and victorious way. Come, Lord Jesus, as my King. May my life reflect You in all things and in all ways; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show the joy of Palm Sunday even today on this day!

Receive my blessings of hope and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Prophetic Psalm for Palm Sunday

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1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures forever." 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! 26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. 29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 NRSV Bible)

Happy Tuesday, ConCafe Family! May this be a day filled with blessings and joys for you to enable your faithful witness and fruitful ministry of love and compassion for others. We continue to pray for Baby Hudson, that God bring his needed healing and strength. Prayers for his mom and dad and his grandparents and all the family who loves him and expectantly expect his joining the family fully soon. Prayers for the recovery of Ms. Kathy Howard of Gonzales, who underwent hip replacement surgery in Houston on Monday morning. Please pray for her recovery. I do not have an update of how the surgery went, but we are trusting God. May our continued prayers for peace in Ukraine, that the Russian spirit of aggression change to a spirit of cooperation and understanding. Pray for one another. Pray for your needs. Pray for the needs of the world.

Palm Sunday should be a day of praise and gratitude to God. The psalmist captures the spirit with which Jesus was welcomed on that day into Jerusalem. Those in the crowd regardless of their situation knew that God's love was steadfast; it never wavered, and it was always focused on His people. The psalmist records that and encourages people who read this psalm to give thanks to God and to share with others their faith that God's love endures for all time. Then the psalm shifts to the prophetic vision the psalmist had about that day in the future, and as he's writing this, he has no idea when such an event would take place. It was not the prophet's job or responsibility to assign a date; his job was to share the hope of the vision. The prophet shares the thoughts of the coming messiah who would say, "Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord." Notice the gates of the city are seen as a path of righteousness; entering into the presence of God is a righteous act in and of itself. To be in the presence of God brings righteousness and sets up the spirit for the one entering to be thankful. And the passage is more about Who Jesus is for all the ages. The prophet describes the role of the messiah as being one of savior and even called "The chief cornerstone" of God's plan for humanity, and even declares it to be the Lord's work and declares the day as "the day the Lord has made; let us rejolce and be glad in it."

Salvation is the central theme and purpose of Christ's coming. The political and military messiah expected could not do what our spiritual Messiah did in His coming. The rule of the Romans was not overthrown, but those captive to sin were set free. The temporal rule of Caesar would not match the eternal rule of Jesus; and the peace of God far surpassed the Pax Romana. The cry for salvation has not yet ended, and we praise God for those who come to that point in their lives where they can and do cry out to the Lord, in their own way, asking, "Save us, we beseech You, O Lord!" And the prophet says, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Light from God has come through the arrival of Jesus. The "festal procession with branches, leading to the altar, is but a preview of the throng of the multitudes from around the world who will present themselves before the Lord in worship and praise. To Jesus we say, "You are my God, and I will give thanks to You, You are my Gpd, I will extol You." And we should, as the passage closes, "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is gpod, for His steadfast love endures forever." The love showed however brief, at Palm Sunday, is the love that will be eternal in Heaven. And you and me are invited to this celebration! Say yes!

PRAYER: Loving God, for all You have done, are doing, and will continue to do, we praise and thank You. We pray Your blessing upon us as we celebrate the coming of Jesus. May we seek to invite others to join the happy procession of life; in Chrsit Jesus we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show others the joy of the Lord as being your strength.

Receive my blessings of peace and joy,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.

Jesus Enters Jerusalem as King!

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28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:28-40 New International Version Bible)

Happy and Blessed Monday, ConCafe Family! May you, respected reader, find peace, joy, and opportunities in which to share your faith in Jesus in positive ways! As we pray, let us pray for Mr. Emmit Currie, who undergoes knee replacement surgery this Wednesday in Gonzales, and Mr. Tom Lester, who undergoes a heart procedure on Friday in Seguin, Pray that God bless these two Christian brothers in awesome ways and that God comfort their famillies who are anxious about these necessary medical treatments.

As we closed our worship time during our second service, I said, "Turn to your neighbor and say, 'Next Sunday is Palm Sunday!' and for me, it's a pretty big deal!" And it is. It is the start of Holy Week and it starts off in such a wonderful, positive way, that those who do not know the story would guess that things just went in a marvelous way. But we who know the story know that the crowd hollering "Hosanna in the highest," would in just five days time be hollering, "Crucify Him!" I ask myself the question, had I been there would I have been the one hollering both? Or, would I have been one of the quiet ones, crying silently for the man I thought to be the Messiah?

The story is powerful, and complex. There were many forces at work in this drama. All the political and religious parties of that day in Israel, were planning against Jesus. On top of them all, is the Enemy, Satan, who would love nothing more than to see Jesus die at the hands of so-called religious people of the day. And those of us who know the story know the answer. But, let us see the story again.

The entire drama of this special Sunday was the plan of God. It was the fulfillment of prophecy. The prophets of old foretold of a king entering Jerusalem in a humble way. There were no armies marching in with Jesus; Jesus entered riding a colt with the people welcoming Him with palm branches, and the spreading of cloaks on the road. Their shouts were, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" and "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" All fulfilling prophecy, and exciting those who truly believed that in Jesus' arrival, a military and political messiah had indeed arrived, and would in a matter of days mount a rebellion against Rome and would once again restore Israel to its glory. The Pharisees could only see the disruption these parade crowd were causing and so they ask Jesus to quiet "HIs disciples." Jesus replies truthfully, "I tell you, if they keep quiet the stones will cry out." Such was the power behind this arrival, that God would have ordered the stones to cry out for this entrance into the Holy City.

How will this Sunday impact your Lenten journey, dear one? Have these forty days truly prepared your heart and spirit for the celebration of the greatest demonstation of love the world has ever seen? Has it truly made your walk with the Lord a blessed event? Or, are you holding something back for some reason? I pray this would be the start of the greatest days of your life as you experience love again from God in a way that blesses your life.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, may Your name be blessed in my life and mouth as we draw closer to this special time of year. May my heart truly receive and share Your love like never before in ways that bless Your kingdom here on the earth. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a King's kid this week by showing others how blessed you are to know Jesus!

Receive my blessings of joy and peace,

Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.