Who's Taking Your Place?

Saying Goodbye and Welcome!

Hear now the Word of God from 2 Kings 2: 1 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. 3 The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent." 4 Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. 5 The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent." 6 Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. 9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." 10 He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

If your first name starts with an E, like Eradio, you stand a better chance of going to Heaven without dying. The first was Enoch, who walked with the Lord and one day they just kept walking right from this life into glory. The second is Elijah about whom you have just read above. It is a fitting entry given all the old man suffered and did for God. It was not that long ago we read of Elijah's frustration and fear after having defeated the prophets of Baal and having been led into the wilderness to hear God's voice in the wilderness after experiencing a mighty wind, an earthquake and fire. After that encounter with God, Elijah's prophetic ministry continued and one of the highlights was finding a successor, Elisha, to take his place. Elisha was a farm boy who felt God's call upon his life when he met Elijah. He left farming to become a follower of God.

One of the things that is affecting the Christian church today is that members have not taken seriously the call to make other disciples. And as a result, upon their death, they leave a vacancy. As a pastor I have tried to share God's call to all who would hear it and see if indeed God is calling them, and I have been blessed by those who have said to me they felt a calling through my ministry. In the same way, you should be praying about making an impact on the lives of others so that one day they can take your place in ministry. The other day one of my key lay leaders in one of the churches of this district confessed, without my prompting, that he and others had not done a good job of finding people to take their place. He worried about his church and what would happen when all these wonderful leaders are called "home."

The day came when the Spirit let Elijah know that his day to return home had come. He started out on this final journey by traveling to several places. All along the way as they encounter prophets, the Spirit had revealed to them as well that today was the day of Elijah's departure. And they shared that with Elisha. "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" Thanks for reminding me! Elijah had tried to convince his protege to stay behind, but the young man insisted on being by his side when this happened. They finally reached the point where they came to the Jordan River and Elijah takes his mantle and strikes the water, the water parts and they cross over. Then the moment of goodbye occurs and the old man asks Elisha what he wants. Elisha responds that he wants a double portion of the prophetic spirit that had blessed Elijah's ministry. It was as if he was saying, "I want to be faithful like you but be able to do more!" Elijah says that he can if he happens to be able to witness his being taken up.

A chariot of fire comes to pick the old man up. Elisha is overcome with joy and emotion and cries, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" A witness to the power and glory of God and a recipient of what God had shared with his mentor.

You and I are called to continue to bless others with what we know about God. We are commanded to make new disciples and we have been given permission to reach others. In fact, we never travel alone and nor do we travel without the weapons of joy, love, and peace with which to share with those who do not yet know the love of God. It may come through a simple act of kindness of sharing a cup of coffee and time of conversation. Last night in a tiny church, I introduced their new pastor to them and they were sharing how this past Sunday, a young man who had drive by their church (and it's in the middle of nowhere!) saw the sign for Free Coffee, went in, had the coffee and the conversation and decided to worship with them, baptized his baby son, and then he and his wife joined the church. New believers and followers, through a simple act of sharing and caring.

PRAYER: Lord, help us to continue to find those who will take our places and even start new places of service and ministry with You and for You. Help us know we can do it, with Your power and presence. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Remember Your Salvation!

Remind Yourself of God's Great Work in Your Life

From The Message version of the Bible we read Psalm 77: 1 I yell out to my God, I yell with all my might, I yell at the top of my lungs. He listens. 2 I found myself in trouble and went looking for my Lord; my life was an open wound that wouldn't heal. When friends said, "Everything will turn out all right," I didn't believe a word they said. 11 Once again I'll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; 12 I'll ponder all the things you've accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts. 13 O God! Your way is holy! No god is great like God! 14 You're the God who makes things happen; you showed everyone what you can do - 15 You pulled your people out of the worst kind of trouble, rescued the children of Jacob and Joseph. 16 Ocean saw you in action, God, saw you and trembled with fear; Deep Ocean was scared to death. 17 Clouds belched buckets of rain, Sky exploded with thunder, your arrows flashing this way and that. 18 From Whirlwind came your thundering voice, Lightning exposed the world, Earth reeled and rocked. 19 You strode right through Ocean, walked straight through roaring Ocean, but nobody saw you come or go. 20Hidden in the hands of Moses and Aaron, You led your people like a flock of sheep.

I remember vividly the song from my Sunday school days in my little church of Kingsville, Texas, where we sang, "If you're saved and you know it clap your hands...If you're saved and you know it then your heart will surely show it; if you're saved and you know it clap your hands." I also remember very well when my daughters came home singing the version they learned, "If you're happy and you know it...etc." I wondered when did we change it? If they learned it at public school then I can understand someone liking the melody and message of being happy and of course, they're not allowed to sing about salvation. Yet, I heard the song in church the same way. I stomped my feet, shook instead of nodded my head, and didn't clap my hands.

The psalmist was anything but happy in the words penned in this psalm 77. He was miserable and troubled. This version more honestly puts it that he yelled out in pain and frustration because of his situation whatever that might have been. It was a needed release. It is a release some of us have tried from time to time depending on what we faced. As the psalmist has found himself in trouble, so have we, and we have had God to Whom we could yell. He knew God listened but the state of mind this challenge brought to his life kept him from believing it. To have a problem that one compares to ones life being "an open wound that wouldn't heal," it is a serious thing indeed. Even the comforting counsel and presence of friends sometimes doesn't seem like enough.

He did what we should do. He laid out in his mind all that God had done in his life up to that point. The commentary in the Wesley Study Bible calls this a remembrance of salvation. He remembered when he did not know God and how his life was at that time. But when he entered into a relationship with God his life changed for the better. No "ancient wonder," no "ponder(ing) on the things accomplished" by God compares to the joy found in knowing God's grace and love. To know, trust, love, and walk with God is salvation. It is a way of living spiritually and positively. It is a way of true happiness. I love the phrase, "You're the God who makes things happen." (v. 14). And the psalmist knows that in the way God rescued those whom we have read about in ancient days, God will again rescue him and us when we remind ourselves and pray to God for God's power and peace in our lives.

Say to yourself, There is nothing so great facing me that with God's power and peace I cannot face and defeat. I will take the hand of God, listen for God's voice, and walk out of trouble and into peace.

PRAYER: Loving God, speak to my heart and those who are reading this, that we may receive the power and peace You offer to us. And if anyone reading this does not yet know You, may today be the day of new birth, of entering into a real and lasting relationship with You. May we turn over our sinful ways to You and let You be the one to guide and lead. Help those facing trouble to take your hand and walk right out of it into peace. This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

What Has God Done for You?

Have You Told Anyone?

Luke 8:26 Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me"— 29 for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 30 Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. 31 They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. 32 Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 34 When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. 35Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenesasked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

"You're only as good as your last _________" fill in the blank. Sermon. Interview. Recital. Etc. God is always good. God has always been good in my life and I don't measure God's performance by the last blessing or the last miracle in my life. I measure my being alive as a great blessing from God. I measure my having faith in God as a great blessing. Yet, the Bible and life today, is filled with those who only speak about God is when they have either left Him or need Him. I have been guilty of that in my life, too, but I strive towards giving thanks for all things and in all things.

This is the story of a man who had a lot to be thankful for. The picture of his life when we meet him is sad. Filled with multiple demons, living among the dead, naked, not wanting contact with people, and Jesus comes into his life. The power of Jesus over the demons sets this man free. It came with a cost, for a herd of swine was lost in this act of deliverance, and those who lost their investment asked Jesus to leave. The man now free to do as he pleases, chooses to leave with Jesus. Jesus instead sends him home with this message, "Declare how much God has done for you." And he did.

God has shared with us good news. God has given us new life. God has promised us victory over sin and death. The question is, what have we done about it? Why do we keep it to ourselves? Many have yet heard and some may just be waiting for us to tell them.

PRAYER: Loving God, speak to our hearts and remind us of all the good You have done. And give us the courage and the wisdom to share with those who have yet to hear. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.

Eradio Valverde

We Are God's Children!

We Should Be On The Road to Maturity

We find from reading Paul's letter to the Galatians 3, these words from verse 23 to 29: 23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.

We are God's children. We can ask for no better parent than God. We can ask for no better label than to be able to say we are in the family of God. Our earthly families may have been less than perfect, but in God's family, through faith in Christ, we find that which we need. Paul is celebrating this and so should we! Hear what he's saying. There was a time when we did not know the love and grace of God. We lived either according to our passions or under the guilt of the prison of dos and don'ts. It was the revelation of faith through Christ that we discovered grace. In Jesus we found the clothing we needed that not only identified us but guides us. Our oldest grandchild just graduated from Kindergarten where she was required to wear a uniform. Sarita is an artistic girl who likes to express herself not only on paper but in her clothing. To have to wear almost the same thing day after day was not good for her spirit. When she learned she would be attending a grade school where they wear what they want she was elated. To wear Christ is elation as well. We are embraced and covered with His love for us. We are embraced by the One who will not let us fall away or be eternally separated from the love of God. And, because of the clothing of Christ, there is now no divisions between whatever labels we or society has placed on us. No more Jew or Greek, Paul says. No slave nor free, not even male or female; we "are one in Christ Jesus." All heirs of God.

So quit the "broke" thinking of "I'm poor" or "My church is poor." It's thinking like that that has us poor in all things; thought, spirit, ideas, resources, etc. Put on Christ and the label of being the son/daughter of the Most High God. Apply that to your daily thoughts and you will be blessed and a blessing to others.

Quit also, listening to those who continue to try to label you in a category or a division. We are one in Christ Jesus. Those who insist on labeling are outsiders, outside of the love and blessings of God. They're the poorer for it. Love them and pray for them, but listen not to those voices, listen for God's voice.

PRAYER: Thank you, loving God, for making me Yours. Help me to share the Good News of Your love and grace with others. This I pray in Christ Jesus, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Even in Despair, God is There!

Listening to the voice of God...

1 Kings 19: 1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." 3 Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat." 6 He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." 8 He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." 11 He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."15 Then the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus;

"The more you do for God, the more the Devil wants you back." My Mom used to tell me that, and I've heard it in several ways since then, but it comes to mean that every victory you claim for God may come with a reaction from those who oppose God and the things of God. Such was the case with Elijah, the great prophet of God. He had had a show-down with 400 priests of Baal at Mount Carmel and handily defeated them. He showed to those gathered there that there are no other gods, just one, ours. This angered both the king and queen, who were no fans of God. You may have heard of them, King Ahab, and Queen Jezebel. She may be more infamous because of her temper and reactions to God's things. It was her words that said to Elijah you'll be dead by tomorrow. Not a good word to hear from your queen. Elijah did what many of us would do, he fled.

He wanders into the wilderness to seek God. God had blessed his life and had always provided for him, but this last threat was a breaking point in his life. Elijah felt he could do no more and asks God to take his life. A man I once knew would come to a point in his work day when he would announce, "I have ceased to be productive!" and he would go home. Elijah felt that way but in a deeper sense wanted to go home to God. He finds a place of shade under a "solitary broom tree" where he lays down and sleeps. A tapping from an angel awakens him and he is told to "Get up and eat." He finds that this heavenly messenger has baked a cake of bread and brought a jar of water. He ate this meal and then lay down again. A second time, awakened by the angel, he is told again, "Get up and eat." (This is beginning to sound like a Methodist story; pot luck or covered dish?). But this second feeding comes with a warning, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you."

Elijah wanted to die, and God feeds him. Elijah wanted no more on the road of service with God, and God prepares him for a longer journey. It was a journey of 40 days and nights of fasting and prayer. He comes to Mount Horeb and in a cave there spends this fortieth night. God visits and asks what he is doing there. Elijah answers again with despair, "I have been trying to serve you, but I have found too much opposition to what I am trying to do. People don't respect Your Word, they have destroyed places of worship, they have killed your prophets; I'm the last one left and even now they are looking for me to kill me."

Even in despair, God is there. Even in the glum face of defeat God provides a sliver of hope that all will be well, we have to but wait and trust God. And sometimes that seems like the hardest thing. In the rest of this story, God tells Elijah to stand on the mountain for God was to pass. A great wind comes with the strength to break rocks in pieces, yet God was not in the wind. There comes an earthquake after the wind, but God was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake comes a fire, but God was not in the fire. After the fire, sheer silence. Elijah wrapped his head and stood at the entrance of the cave. Again, the question comes from God, "What are you doing, Elijah?" Elijah again shares the same response, and God tells him to continue his work.

Even in despair, God is there. Even when we think our faithfulness and our discipleship is doing nothing good, God may surprise us and show us that God is still in control and working. Our efforts may seem in vain, but it may be years later that we hear that what we have shared or said have found a home and the blossom of that seed planted will result in yet another victory for God. If you read the rest of the story, God blesses Elijah in ways he did not expect, and the final blessing is one that amazes us even today. (You'll have to read the rest of the story!)

Even if you find yourself unappreciated or swimming upstream in your daily walk with Christ, God is with you and the greatest victories may have not yet come your way, but still you remain faithful. Even in despair, God is there.

PRAYER: Loving God, may this message speak to the hearts of those who need it. Many have been the days when we have sought You and thought we were alone and abandoned, but Your Word proves otherwise and may this passage serve to strengthen us in our faithfulness to You. Bless this dear reader and his/her needs, and if this gets forwarded to someone else, may that other reader also receive that which You have prepared for them. This we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Everybody Gets The Blues

But it's God that lifts us up!

Psalm 42:1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, "Where is your God?" 4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help 6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me. 8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?" 10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?" 11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.

A newer version of the Bible, The Message, has the psalmist saying, "I'm on a diet of tears - tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, 'Where is this God of yours?'" Either we have been there or close to there; days where sadness takes over our lives and we find ourselves thinking that God has abandoned us. The great thing about the psalmist was that he knew he had been the one to allow this to happen to him, thus the first line - he must be like the deer seeking "flowing streams" because in finding God would be where he would find the power to uplift his spirit. Yes, it can happen on a Monday; the thought of getting back to the routine (or rut) of everyday life, the challenges that were out of mind on Friday come back to needing fulfillment, etc. It is easy to get the blues, even after a great weekend of worship and praise.

The "fix" or cure is to set our eyes on God again, and God will bring smiles to our faces and praises to our lips; in everything and everyday, our lives should be about seeking and praising God. A dear member of one of my churches died this past Saturday. She had liver cancer and being the widow of a serviceman, she received treatment at Brooks Army Medical Center. Her son shared with me how even undergoing treatment for this terminal disease, she made it a point to know her neighbors and visit them and share how God had blessed her life and how she was changed because of the love of God. Dinorah Cloyd was an artist, who used her talent of painting to share beauty and hope with so many. She had gone from painting canvases to note cards to bookmarks, that she used to share with other patients. The doctors and nurses gave witness to her life and compared her to Ghandi; she loved others because she loved God and she knew God loved her. When she was released to go home it took several minutes because so many wanted to thank her again for her visits and sharing of her faith, which gave many of them hope.(Please pray for the Cloyd family, including Rev. Carlos Cloyd, her son and her two daughters.)

What witness do we have about our God? Do we let the geography get to us, the lows of valleys and highs of mountains? Do we let the "whitewater rapids," and "breaking surf" crash and crush us? The answer should be no. These are but temporal things, the big picture of faith says, God is still in control and God is still worthy of our praise!

Let God dry the tears and let us turn to God so that we can give witness to the living God, the God of hope and life.

PRAYER: Loving God of life, we ask for your blessings on those whom we have not yet blessed. We ask for comfort for those who are on a diet of tears. Comfort them and give them hope and let us have from You the words that we can share with others. Whatever need I may have, I turn over to You for your blessing and protection, and all this I pray in the name of Christ Jesus, my Lord and Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Personal Privilege: Happy Birthday to my wife, Nellie. She is my biggest fan and devoted reader of ConCafe since day one. May God bless her with many more, because I need her!

God Forgives Our Sins

Still we go scuba diving!

Hear these words, people of God: Micah 7:18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of your possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in showing clemency. 19 He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. From Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. And from the last book, Revelation 21:1: 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

God forgives all of our sins. It seems too good to be true, but it is. Hear it again: God forgives all of our sins. And the Bible says there is an action on God's part that should speak to us. And this comes to us as a promise and as a help; God takes our sins and "cast(s) all our sins into the depths of the sea." Hebrews then adds God saying, "For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." God has trouble with His memory, like us older types, God forgets those sins for which we have asked forgiveness. Here begs the questions, why don't we?

Memory is a great thing most days. It is precious to remember loved ones. It is priceless to remember good things done for us or that we have done for others. It is powerful to remember what God has done for us. Yet, memory sometimes comes to haunt us. We confess to God that we are sinful and ask for forgiveness. God forgives our sins, casts them into the sea, forgets that we had even sinned, and in Revelation we see that that part about all our sins being in the "depths of the sea" becomes even more powerfully absent because "the sea was no more." Yet, we scuba dive in our memories and remember things. It's part of our conscience to let those past sins creep into our thinking, but here is where grace overrides conscience. God forgives and forgets. Oh, if only we were so gracious ourselves. We hold grudges. We shouldn't. We say we can forgive but not forget. We declare ourselves, though we are children of God, to be anything but Godlike. And it comes back to haunt us when it comes to such words and actions, and our words and actions said or done against God or God's people. Still, we scuba dive. We go lurking in the depths of the sea every time we let a memory of a past sin come to haunt us. What do we gain from that? Absolutely nothing, except to come face to face, as the diver in this graphic, with a monster of the deep.

I have a dear friend and brother in Christ whose second home is the sea, the underwater part. And he takes beautiful photos of the deep and shares them with me and those who are his friends on Facebook. And in all the pictures and movies he has taken underwater, Rev. Virgilio Vasquez Garza has yet to show me my past sins. At least in photographs! ;) And were he to come face to face with his or anyone else's sins, that would probably be the day he quit going under there looking for beauty.

Say this to yourself: My sins are forgiven. My sins are forgotten. My sins for now are sleeping with the fishes, but the day is coming when they will be no more.

PRAYER: Thank You, Loving God, for Your mercy and grace. My prayer is that You would help me and those reading this as their own prayer, to rely on Your grace to forget our sins. We are a people sent, not sit or set; so help us move towards You. We ask this in Our Lord and Savior's name, Jesus Christ, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

To see the photo of the scuba diver and this in another format: http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=ddb0d8e9e8610bb92960afa4d&id=30c5e7a3b4

Forgiveness of even my sins!

Christ's love hits close to home.

From Luke 7 & 8: 36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. 37 And a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. 38 She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner." 40Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Teacher," he replied, "speak." 41 "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon answered, "I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt." And Jesus said to him, "You have judged rightly." 44 Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." 48 Then he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" 50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." 1 Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, 2 as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.

Somewhere in the mid-Atlantic, during a violent storm, a difficult question was asked of a little man who was afraid to die. The storm made him question survival and seeking a place below deck where he could die, instead he encounters a group of Christians celebrating their pending death. The leader of the group had to ask this man if he knew Jesus. The man replied that he knew Jesus to be the Savior of the world. The leader then asked if he knew Jesus to be his savior, and he had to confess that he did not.

The man asked that question could have been me or you. The man was very religious, but was not in a relationship with Jesus. The same is true about the man who hosted Jesus to supper. He wanted to know a little more about Jesus, but did not show any genuine signs of hospitality one would show to a friend or an honored guest. This mysterious woman did; weeping, she used her tears to wash Jesus' feet, and used her hair to dry them. She kissed His feet and used ointment to anoint Jesus' feet. She was in relationship with Jesus; she had know that she had made some wrong choices in her life; we call it sin. But she also knew that in Jesus she could find forgiveness for those sins, this the acts of gratitude toward Jesus. And the passage ends with with a partial list of wonn who followed Jesus and out of their gratitude, financially supported Jesus' ministry.

The man I mentioned above was a very religious man until he understood the need to have a relationship with Jesus. It would be a bit later when John Wesley went to a lay-led meeting at Aldersgate that he felt his heart "strangely warmed" and he understood that Christ had died for his sins, "even mine."

There should be no room in our hearts for sin. Sin kills. It's a slow, painful process and takes victims with it if we are not careful. But the Good News is that Jesus takes away our sins, even mine, for the asking. It's a message too good to keep to ourselves. Transformation begins from within, and taking away our sins is the first big step.

PRAYER: Living and Loving God, help me to stay in relationship with You. Forgive my sins and cast them into the deep part of the sea. Remove from my memory the harm they may have caused me and others. Let me be all about telling others about Your love. This I ask in the Name of He who came to take away my sin, Jesus my Lord and Savior, amen.

Happy Aldersgate Day!

May 24, 1738

"I felt my heart strangely warmed..." It was 275 years ago today, that John Wesley was invited to a meeting at church. John was an ordained Anglican priest and the last thing he wanted was another church meeting. It hadn't been that long since he had just gotten back from the colony of Georgia where he failed miserably. He came back to England feeling a complete failure. He was just going through the motions of serving God. I'll let him tell the rest of his story:

"In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter to nine, while the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."

Wow. Raised in a parsonage by a loving father and mother; taught the basics of Christianity by mostly his mom. Attended Oxford University, then became his dad's associate pastor, invited back to get a Master's Degree. Joined a religious group that did things in a methodical way. Jeered for the time they spent in prayer, worship, Bible study and helping orphans and widows; they were called "Holy rollers, Bible moths, because they took their Bibles everywhere with them. And the worst name they could think of? "You are a bunch of Methodists!" A name that John liked and adapted for this new group interested in living out the faith they had learned.

But it was not until he stopped to listen to God and the power of God to change hearts and remove sin, that John Wesley truly became a Christian. He needed salvation; that right relationship with God that begins with having our sins removed and our hearts renewed, that he was able to say the words we read above. Read them again. Now he "trusts" Christ "alone for salvation." He received an assurance that his sins, "even mine" he writes, "and saved me from the law of sin and death."

What good came of that? 1) He started preaching outdoors. As unheard of as today. He even preached on the tomb of his father because his father's old church did not want the likes of Wesley preaching this "good news" stuff. 2) He starts an orphanage. And it was needed. 3) He started a Sunday school, literally a school that taught the 3-Rs, since children were required to work and not to attend school. Once that changed, the Methodists kept the idea of a Sunday school to teach about God. Yep. We started Sunday school. 4) He travels over most of England by horseback, preaching every place and every chance given. 5) He preaches outside of coal mines to workers with dirty nails and hair that would not be welcome in the "proper" church. One time two men were so angry of what he was preaching they resolved to kill him by stoning him but stopped when they no longer saw John Wesley's face, but that of an angel. They could not stone an angel. A revival breaks out in England that some scholars credit with preventing a Civil War in England; people actually got along! 6)The Methodist Church is established in America by lay preachers that John sent to preach the gospel to all people, moving westward as the country grows, establishing churches and schools, universities, colleges, and hospitals.

The Methodist Church was a movement. Its members were open to God's Holy Spirit to do uncomfortable, outrageous and courageous things; completely different from the state-supported church that cared little or nothing about reaching outsiders. The state-run church was an institution not a movement.

How are we? Sad to say we resemble more the Church of England than we do the Methodist movement. We have turned inward and care more about our buildings and furnishings. Last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday and we celebrated the coming of God's Holy Spirit on that day of Pentecost; the question becomes what have we done about it?

May our prayer this special day be that we would become a movement again, caring for our neighbor and that means recognizing all people as our neighbor, and doing what it takes to reach them for God's Kingdom. Could we preach outside again? Could we start Sunday schools in areas outside of our church, like housing projects or poor neighborhoods? Could we live lives that show that we truly love one another?

Happy Aldersgate Day! May your heart be strangely warmed again or for the first time!

Eradio Valverde

You'll Understand Later

Trust, Learn, and Obey

Understanding comes with maturity

John 16:12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

We have a birthday tradition that has become everyone who wants it; that of buying and breaking a piñata. For those, especially children, who have never had that experience, it is a scary one. The design of the piñata usually catches their attention, but the next step is the frightening one. "You take this stick and you hit it as hard as you can, to break it!" The child must be thinking, "You bought 'My Little Pony,' my favorite cartoon character, the one I love, and you want me to hit her/him as hard as I can, to break him/her?" Pretty much. What the children don't know, and I suppose for some this does not necessarily make it better, that the piñata is filled with candy. Once broken, the kids make a mad dash for it, pushing each other out of the way, fighting each other for Tootsie Rolls. Why did I choose this illustration for today's text? I don't know. It probably makes it as clear as the disciples must have felt as they heard Jesus explain the Holy Spirit to them.

Jesus says that they had a lot yet to learn, but He was not going to share it all at one time. Jesus knew that the more they heard at one time, the more they would forget. But, Jesus says, there will arrive the Holy Spirit, a person in the Godhead (part of the Trinity; Father, Son, Holy Spirit), who will guide you into all the truth, meaning, your education and walk with me will continue in this new fashion. The Holy Spirit will hear from God and will share that which he hears, and reveal and teach you as you journey with me. Jesus adds that the Holy Spirit will glorify Him, because he will teach the disciples in that which the disciples did not know at that point. And Jesus knew that after the crucifixion and resurrection, the questions about Him would increase, and the answers would be needed from Him. The making of new disciples would require being spiritually led by Jesus and it would be done by the Holy Spirit. Christ wanted them to mature in their faith so that they could share that faith with new believers.

Discipleship is never ending. Some of what we encounter on our journey make not make sense or it may seem difficult, yes, we may even have to break some spiritual "piñatas", but once we do, the greater thing, the sweetness of discipleship will be ours. What piñatas you encounter will take many shapes and may be held as sacred or traditional or territorial, but be guided by the Spirit to the newness and the sweetness of faith.

PRAYER: Journey with me, Dear God. Help me mature in my understanding and discipleship. Help me to make new disciples. Guide me through Your Spirit; this I pray in Christ Jesus, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Formula for Success!

Setting Your Sights on Success

St. Paul explains it from his perspective From Romans 5: 1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. 9 Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. 11 But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

We all have our own definition of success. Some count it by the amount in the bank, wallet, or purse. Others by accumulation of material possessions or goods. Some by the joy received in doing the job they've always wanted. Paul saw success as being in relationship with God. Success is having peace. Peace comes from the knowledge that inner strength will see us through anything. And seeing us through anything will bring us a share of the glory of God. Even in the face of suffering comes that peace. Paul sets out a formula of sorts for this success: First, comes suffering in whatever form it may present itself to us. Moving forward and positively through suffering brings us endurance. Endurance brings us character. Character produces hope, the kind that does not disappoint because God has poured God's love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. At that low point of knowing that our sin had separated us from God, God gave us the news that Jesus died for us, which brought us justification, meaning we have been made right and accepted by God when we were, for all practical purposes, unacceptable. God's love is that amazing that we will are made right when we have been wrong. We have been lifted up when we have fallen down. We've been given a helping hand when we felt we were alone and not able to do anything.

The photo I have shared this morning speaks to my heart of that formula. The young woman is being pinned by the associate dean of the nursing school. The pin she is receiving is recognition that she will be, once all state exams are complete, a registered nurse. That young woman is my daughter, whose faith had allowed her to reach this even while enduring some trying times that would have made others give up. Her faith is strong. She has endurance. She has character. And she possesses a hope that nothing can defeat. And since she has been a child she entered into a relationship with God through Christ. And that, dear friends, is available to all who seek and receive that.

Are you feeling weak and alone? You're not either. Feeling like you have nothing to offer to others? Through Christ's love you can have the character that will bless others, and you will share with a world lost in the darkness of hopelessness, the bright light of God's power to see us all through so many things. And the good news? It is ours for the asking.

PRAYER: LOVING God, speak to my heart. Grant to me that which I need; I seek strength and hope in what I have experienced; and above all I desire the love you offer to us. This I ask in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Wisdom is Ours for the Asking!

If anyone lack wisdom, they should ask...

1 Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice? 2 On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; 3 beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: 4 "To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live. 22 The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. 23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth— 26 when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world's first bits of soil. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, 29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 31rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.

Why is making decisions so hard? Not all decisions are hard, but some seem almost impossible. There are some who spend what seem like hours staring in their closets thinking they have nothing to wear; others look around the floor and pick up what they think is the least funky of the "closet" on the floor by the bed. Some ponder whether or not to sign a long term lease on a home or a vehicle. Others worry they are about to make the wrong decision on a life partner. Others worry about the challenges of life that come their way.

Jesus Christ's mission was to share His wisdom with us. This passage from Proverbs speaks of both the Divine wisdom and the wisdom imparted by the second part of the Godhead (John Wesley's Explanatory Notes). Wisdom was present at the creation of the world and Jesus brought God's wisdom to the world. Wisdom is ours for the asking. We also know that as United Methodists that we should rely on Scripture, draw from tradition, reflect on experience, and certainly reason it all out. But firm it all together through prayer and listening.

The best decision is to trust Christ enough to invite Him into our hearts and lives. Then we should follow that with a daily decision to connect with Him so that we may know that which can best bless God and God's people when we face major life-decisions.

If you do not know Jesus as Your personal Lord and Savior, the opportunity to invite Him into your life is always present, why not do it today?

PRAYER: Loving God, may the wisdom of the ages be ours when we seek You and Your Son's guidance and strength. Bless us in the making of all decisions so that we might glorify You. Bless those who are making decisions to follow You as Lord and Savior; and this we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

How Awesome is the Lord!

Mornings with God bless your day; may your day be blessed! Psalm 8 tells us why... 1 O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; 4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? 5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

I spent some wonderful time with my six month old granddaughter, Eliana, yesterday morning. She, like all kids her age, is drawn to the iPad and all it offers. She can't yet crawl but while on "tummy time" I put on a video of "He's Got the Whole World in HIs Hands" and the brightness of her smile and her wanting to get closer to the screen made my day. She knew the song and wanted to get a better view of the animated picture of Jesus holding the world. The next video was "Jesus Loves Me" and again the same response. There is no describing the joy of a child who loves music and images and perhaps in her own way, as the psalmist says, "Out of the mouth of babes and infants You have founded a bulwark because of Your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger." There is indeed a bulwark around babes and infants whose parents and guardians guard their lives with prayer and love. The Lord is present indeed.

Look at the child or an infant, look at the clouds, look at the moon and the stars, and you will see "the work of (God's) fingers." And then look at the child again or another person and ask the question that the psalmist asks, "What are human beings that You are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?" He declares, "Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor." We have the control over the works of God's hands, all things are under our control. Indeed, yes, Sovereign God, "how majestic is your name in all the earth!"

Live a life that reflects the glory and honor of God present in your life, and what a blessing you will be to others.

PRAYER: May God's light shine brightly on you so that you may shine on those still in darkness. In Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde Eliana and her grandpa Eliana discovering grandpa hadn't shaved yet!

God's Promises to Us!

Help our faith, O Lord!

John 14:8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. 15"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. 25 "I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.

In the midst of having announced His death, Jesus still speaks of life. He has spoken to the disciples about His Father's House and how Jesus is preparing a place for them and here comes the question, "How can we be sure?" Philip didn't phrase it quite that way, but he is asking for a little more clarification. He's grieving that Jesus will die and perhaps may be a bit scared about his own death and so the question really asks, How can we be sure? Jesus lovingly answers, I've been with you all this time, you've seen things that you had never seen before and I'm even telling you that if you have seen me you have seen the Father. I make you a promise that "whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son" I will do. "If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it." Then Jesus adds that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments, and then promises the coming of the Advocate, Who will be with us forever. And the Advocate's role will be to teach and remind us of everything that Jesus had shared with us. Then Jesus says, peace is ours. And our hearts should not be troubled.

We're like Philip in all things that scare or frighten us. We're like Philip when we face serious illness or serious challenges in our lives or in our places of work or even in our churches. The word from Jesus is love, peace, and obedience. In the midst of what we face, we have Someone with us. Believe that. That Someone helps us be reminded of all that Jesus has shared with us.

And our hearts? They should not be troubled.

PRAYER: Loving and Mighty God, in the midst of today's challenges, speak a word of peace and hope. Let us see beyond the realm of fear and doubt to the reality of Your presence. May the Holy Spirit truly be at work in us. This we pray in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

On Fire for God!

The Arrival of the Holy Spirit (Hint: Still with us!)

Hear these words from Acts 2: 1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power."12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" 13 But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine." 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 "In the last days it will 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 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

You go some place for something, and another thing happens. And yes, it sometimes happens in church. You go to worship, like you usually do, except this time, something happens to you that reminds you that God has something for you to do. Or it may be the first time that you hear/feel God calling you to something like professional ministry. Yikes! What do you do?

This is precisely what happened on that Day of Pentecost. Jerusalem was filled with visitors like the holiday weekend that it was, imagine Houston or Dallas on the day after Thanksgiving. The faithful Jews who could afford it, had traveled there to worship God for the giving of the Law to Moses. Yes, pretty big deal, but God changed it for some there. A violent wind comes and fills the house where the disciples were hiding. And tongues of fire fell on the disciples and they began speaking in other languages. The crowd outside heard this sound, so it must have been loud, and the disciples ran outside and began speaking in this new language (to them) "God's deeds of power." And the list of languages is given there in verses 9-11 and it says they were a) amazed because each heard in their own tongue this declaration about God and b) the men speaking were Galileans. Not knowing what to make of this they said the men must be drunk. You and I have known souls in that condition and the last thing on their mind to say were "God's good deeds." Yet, it gives Peter an opportunity to witness to this action in a sermon where Peter says that God desires a relationship with each of them.

Indeed, even today there are so many who stand in need to hear this invitation, and no one is speaking their language. In other words, they're not relating. They're babbling to them. "Meet in the Narthex or vestibule or sanctuary and we'll fellowship with you!" Huh? ¿Que que?

God wants us to relate in common terms, using words if necessary, to tell of God's love for them. God still pours out His Holy Spirit to give us the words, the courage and the wisdom to give witness to God's great deeds. The question remains, what are we doing about it?

PRAYER: Loving God of all people and all languages, may Your Spirit give me the language I need today and all days, to relate and reach those who need Your love. This I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Stop Babbling!

What's that you say?

Using Language for God's good not ours

From Genesis 11 we find these words: 1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." 5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6 And the Lord said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech." 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Language can both connect or divide. Those who know more than one language will usually be fascinated by those who know one they don't know. Those who know just one language sometimes will feel isolated or even threatened to hear the language of another. You may have been in another land and not heard English for days, but when you did you feel relieved and excited that you could communicate with someone. Nellie and I have been blessed when we spoke Spanish to someone who had not heard it in a while and then we received special attention to our needs even beyond what we expected.

This passage from Genesis seeks to explain the why of so many languages. During the time of one language by one people in one place, the thought was to make a name for themselves. And depending on the scholar, some think the building was to reach the heights of God both physically and spiritually. God steps in and introduces new languages and building stopped because they could no longer understand one another. And the one people was scattered all over the face of the earth.

The point of the story in my opinion is that when we stop using our language to praise and worship God and use it only for ourselves, then we're babbling. When we use our language to tear others down and to belittle them, then we're babbling. We should use our language to build others up and to invite them to come to love in Jesus' name in their lives. When we use language to confuse and control, we're babbling and not serving God's purpose.

Stop babbling!

PRAYER: Loving God, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to Thee not only today but all days. May my words be of praise to You and life affirmation to Yours. This I pray in the language I know and in the name of He who brought new tongues to use, Jesus, my Lord and Savior, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Caught Up in Spring and in Singing

God is Awesome!

We just have to look around...

Psalm 104:24 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. 31May 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. 35b Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!

The above psalm is a hymn. It could be a hymn of spring. It is a hymn of praise to God for God's wonderful creation. The picture is from our backyard from a lemon tree that we bought and water and pray that will produce fruit. As a symbol of things to come, this little tree produced a pretty big lemon right away. There are tiny lemons showing, but this one is there as if to say, "It'll work!"

God works in creation and God works in us. Creation knows to just let God; we're the ones who get caught up trying too hard. Creation knows that when God is ready, God's Spirit creates and renews all things. If you know the Emmaus Retreat prayer, you know it has that line in it, which is my favorite line of that prayer. What does God need to create in you? What does God have to renew in you? Ask. Wait. Trust. But in the meantime, join the singing and the praising that God deserves and receives from all creatures.

PRAYER: Loving God, create and renew in me that which You know I need. Let my voice join those voices already thanking and praising You for all things. In Jesus' precious name I pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Ascension of the Lord

There is still work to do!

Today the Christian community celebrates and remembers the Ascension of the Lord back to Heaven. Read these words from Luke 24: 44 Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled."45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

Jesus' last instructions? 1) Read the Word. Study it for the Good News of God's love for all people. Remember that all that I endured, it was to please God. 2) You have work to do. Share with all people that their sins can be forgiven in My name. 3) Be my witnesses. Live a life that proclaims your faith in Me. 4) You will not be powerless; God is sending you the Holy Spirit. 5) Never stop worshiping God.

The rest of the passage says that He was carried up into Heaven. The disciples used this as a time of worship and then returned home with great joy and that joy continued in their daily worship of the Lord in the temple.

To me this is how we should live our lives. We should look "up" in the sense of our worshiping and staying connected with God, but we should also look "around" to the needs of our family, friends, neighbors, strangers and even those we can't stand. Tell them that God loves them both with your words and your actions. Be a witness of the great love you've received and is available to all. Worship God with great joy; enter your church with joy and know it's all about God, enjoy those who gather with you to worship, and then leave and return home with joy. Those days you're not in church at least be in love with God, living with great joy.

PRAYER: Loving God, may You be praised for all You do, are doing, and will do in our lives. May we be people of vision that see in all the directions we can to fulfill the needs of Your kingdom. This we pray in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio

The Relationship That Never Ends

God's Promise Runs From Page One On...

Let's read from Revelation 22, selected verses:12 "See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.16 "It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." 17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let everyone who hears say, "Come." And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift..20 The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

This is literally the last page of the Bible. It is amazing to me how much of page one we read on this last page. It begins and ends with the love of God desiring a relationship with you and me. It begins with a tree of life and ends with a tree of life, a symbol of life for everyone who is in that relationship with God. It has Jesus saying, "I am coming soon" with the reward set aside for those who have done my work, and I am Alpha and Omega, the A and Z of all things. Great things will be happening to those who have maintained the relationship with purity seeking to be a witness to others, and then testament to the middle of the Bible where what was said about David's root is shared again, with living waters shared with those receiving the gift. Jesus then says again, "Surely I am coming soon, 'Amen.' And John, the writer says, "Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints (believers). Amen."

On car trips when our girls were little we sang a lot and we would sing together the songs and hymns we knew and they would sing to us the new songs they had learned, and the one that always got me, first laughing and then saying, "Enough!" was the one called, "This is the song that never ends." And it is repeated enough times that between here and there you say, Please let it end now!

Not so with the relationship with Jesus. This is the one to which we say, "Lord, may it never end. I could not live without a relationship with you," and thus the purpose of this passage. The closing page of the Bible reinforces the faith we have that says God is always with us, desiring love, protecting us and walking with us until that time our walk here comes to an end and our life continues in the land where life never ends.

PRAYER: Indeed, come, Lord Jesus, today into my life and the challenges and opportunities that might come. And let your grace bless my life. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Being Set Free!

The Way of Salvation is freedom

Let's read Acts 16:16 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour. 19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, "These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe." 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." 29 The jaile called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

A funny thing happened on the way to church. Those old enough to remember the old-time television comedians would begin their bits, "A funny thing happened on the way to..." In Paul and Silas' case, nothing funny about their trip to church; they met up with a slave-girl who was demon possessed and who because of this demon present in her life, she made a lot of money for her owners by fortune-telling. Funny how psychic hotlines have lost their popularity at least on tv; but some people always want to know, "What's going to happen tomorrow" or "What's going to happen to me?" I've shared the true story of a new pastor entering a new church and discovering the old pastor had left behind a bill of $600 to psychic hotlines. He was worried about the next church! But this girl's demon knew the Truth: "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." You want or need a better fortune than to know that the One and Only Living, "Most High God" offers to you a way of salvation; a deliverance from sin to life? Paul and Silas' daily (read that again!) trips to church to pray were being interrupted by this girls' outcry against them until finally Paul turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it left her that very moment. Oops, with it went the easy money these slave-owners had been making. They made a citizen's arrest and dragged them to court and charged them with a claim they were disrupting the peace and advocating unlawful behavior as Jews towards Romans. The crowds, who probably had been hearing the spirit's cries about a way of salvation from the Most High God join in in wanting Paul and Silas dealt with. The magistrates ordered Paul and Silas to be stripped and beaten. Verse 23 says they received a severe beating; and on their way to church! A low tire makes many of us just give up and stay home! Paul and Silas didn't get the option of going on to church, they were taken to prison and ordered the jailer to keep them as secure as he could to keep them from escaping.

Paul and Silas were taken to the deepest part of the jail and fastened their feet in stocks; wooden boards with holes cut in them in which your feet were placed and then locked shut. Yet, even in the misery of this jail and even at an hour when most of us are snoring, Paul and Silas are singing praises to God and lifting up prayers. They didn't make it to church and so the church came to them. They were keeping the other prisoners awake with this until an earthquake hit, "so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened." The jailer saw this and decided the best way out of what would be coming to him was to draw his sword and fall on it. Paul yells out that they were all still there. His next actions show that he too was listening to the hymns and prayers and asks what he had to do to be saved. In other words, "I want what you have." I want the peace to sing while chained and shackled. I want the faith to pray while facing an uncertain future. How can I get that?

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, they said, and you will be saved, you and your household. This they also shared with the household of the jailer. So pleased was he with his new faith that he took Paul and Silas and washed their wounds from the severe beating they had been given; then he and his entire household were baptized without delay. He took them into his house and served them food and rejoicing came to them that he had become a believer in God.

Wow. Even demons know the importance of this relationship with God that some call salvation. Worship important enough to do daily. A faith that was worth the embarrassment of being naked and whipped. A hope in a God that even at midnight while in the most vile conditions allows for singing and praying. And a trust that even when set free by an earthquake to stay in the prison and to save the life of the jailer who would certainly have been executed for this prison break; all speak to me about the importance of knowing, loving, and trusting God like never before. What's sad is the number of excuses we come up with to not do any or most of the above. And oh, what we miss out on, when we put our convenience before our commitment.

PRAYER: Loving God, set me free. Set me to being and doing that which comes from knowing, loving and trusting You. I ask this in the name of He who opens prison doors. Amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

God Is In Control!

God is in Control

Even when we feel down and out!

Psalm 97: 1 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! 2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side. 4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory. 7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him. 8 Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O God. 9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. 10 The Lord loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!

We have much for which to give thanks for, and much on which to stand on those days when we feel down, defeated, challenged beyond our limits. The psalmist says that the Lord is king! We should say it and live it, too. The psalmist saw God's power in nature and saw it as a call to worship and faith in his own personal life. He knew better than to bow down and trust in idols; for there is only one living God who is worthy of our praise. He closes with words of hope and promise: "The Lord loves those who hate evil; He guards the lives of His faithful; He rescues them from the hand of the wicked. Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to His holy name!"

Now, what were you troubled about?

PRAYER: Lord, we all have those days when we feel down and defeated; we weep tears of sadness and think there is no hope, yet out of that despair we should think of Your last word in our lives and of the power and might You have to rescue and heal. Bless our needs so that we can be a blessing to others. Lift us up this day, we pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

You Can't Out-Give God!

You Can't Out-give God! The Rest of the Story

Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

Yesterday I shared about the supernatural aspect of God that we either take for granted or ignore or both. We who love and trust God usually talk to God but don't take time to listen. Those who do listen are the ones with the stories; the unexplainable stories, the stories you just label "awesome" or "wow!". The preacher I was listening to was on tv. God has blessed his ministry and he was reminding the congregation of the first building phase of their church. Concrete prices doubled overnight during their construction and their contractor wanted $3.1 million in two weeks or he would walk off the job. The preacher freaked out and told God that he had already asked for what he thought was the maximum amount of this congregation not known for having wealthy people. God told him to go to the people and tell them where they stood. He resisted and he called his mentors. They said the same thing, "Go to the people and be honest with them." While preparing to do this God told him to give his car away during a Saturday night service. What? He thought and prayed about that and made a mental list of those who might be in need of a vehicle on his staff. But God told him the one who would receive the car would come forward during the worship service. The pastor said, "God, no one comes forward during our worship service; it's not built in to our worship style!" God said the man would come forward. During the offering time a man came forward and handed the pastor a $100 bill. The pastor laid it on a table near where he was standing and called the young man back. He reached in his pocket and said, "God told me to give you a car." The guy said, "I don't need a car." Yes, God said you do and this is yours and insisted on him taking it. The pastor said no one could hear this exchange except maybe two or three people seated near him. After the service ended the young man met the pastor off to the side where the young man said he had come to church only because his wife made him. He had argued with her about always going to church and only hearing about the need for money and even said, "God's never given me anything!" But tonight, he said, I felt I needed to give you my last hundred dollars. The pastor said, "Well, you just bought a '96 4 Runner for $100." (The car was practically brand new). The young man was besides himself with what God had done and the pastor was now without a ride home. He got a ride home and spent some time on the phone trying to get a ride to Sunday worship. The staff he thought could get him to church on time could not. The only one was the drummer of the praise band and he said, "But I have to be there early, like 7:30." The preacher admitted he's not an early riser but how else would he get to church. The drummer arrives at 7:15 and is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and excited about church and the pastor is annoyed at the early hour that he has to arrive at the church. Upon arrival someone said, "Pastor, there's a couple who's been waiting for you." It turned out to be a couple from McAllen, TX, who had arrived late to the Saturday service and they arrived in time to see what they thought was the pastor trying to give some car keys to a young man. On their way up to an investors' conference, the wife had said that God had told her to give their brand new van to this pastor they had known some years ago and had heard he was doing quite well. The husband huffed about if I see that he has need for a new car I'll give him the van. Well, he saw that the pastor had given away his car and so he gave him this brand new van. It had things on it the pastor said he did not know existed in vehicles. He used that story in his sermon that morning in worship and one couple came forward and said, "We know you need $3.1 million, but we only have two million we can give right now." That morning they exceeded the need of $3.1 by an additional $2.9 million.

You can't out-give God. But you have to trust Him.

PRAYER: During this time of fear and worry about our economy, dear God, many have given in to a spirit of fear; and that's not what Your Word says is our gift. Our gift is one of love and trust. May it be so. May we be lifted beyond naysaying to yaysaying and praising You for the ways You care for us. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Make Your Heart a Home for the Holy Spirit!

Make Your Heart a Home Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come to those who love Him. From our passage today of John 14:23-29 come these words: 23 Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. 25 "I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, "I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.

As I was dressing for church the other day I watched a local preacher share an incredible story on giving. The story was based on the supernatural power of God and how when we trust God, God does amazing things. It struck me how little most of us speak on supernatural things. We tend to stick to the natural order, the explainable, the things that won't make our "friends" think we're crazy. This preacher did something crazy and God did something even crazier. Yes, he argued with God at first, but then obeyed. We tend to dismiss it as silly thinking coming into our heads and never let them make it to our hearts.

The Holy Spirit is as SUPERNATURAL as you can get. And Jesus promised His coming if we would only love God enough to trust God and keep God's "words" in our hearts. The Holy Spirit would come as Advocate, One who would speak on our behalf, and teach us "everything," and serve to remind us of all we have ever learned about God. And with this coming of the Holy Spirit would come peace. Read that again, God shares His peace, not fear, with us. This is how much God loves us!

PRAYER: Loving God, grant to us Your love, Your peace, and the presence and power of Your Holy Spirit in our lives so that we may do the supernatural things that you want us to do, especially in our giving and receiving. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

Visions of LIfe Beyond? Start Right Now, Right Here!

This past Sunday right before I preached I checked my distractions, that is to say I checked FaceBook and saw a posting by my youngest sister who reminded me that on that day, ten years ago, our mother died. My first thought was "Just what I needed to remember right before taking the pulpit and preaching," but then I thought, this is what it's all about! I preach a living God, a God of life, who made death a part of life that brings us ultimate healing from pain and suffering. Yes, I was sad missing my Mom, but I was thankful for the words from God's Word about life eternal.

This passage is precisely about that. There are key images and references in it to what we believe. All things will be made new. God will be our Temple. The glory of God will be the light of a never-ending day. Purity will be present and evil will be forbidden from entering. Those whose names are in the book of life will be allowed in. There will be water of life. The tree of life will be there; its leaves for the healing of the nations. Jesus will sit on the throne and His name shall be on our foreheads. No more night. Life forever and ever.

I preach a God who wants this to start now. The logical place is of course, our lives and it should carry over to our homes, and you might even think it would make it all the way to our places of worship (churches). Yet, there is much to do. We need to look beyond ourselves to God, Who looks beyond the pews and carpets and stained windows to those whose lives are hurting and hungry for knowing what and Who we know. Any other thing that we undertake that does not take this into account is just for naught.

PRAYER: Living God, may we seek You and what You would have us do. This we pray in Jesus' precious name, amen.

Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!

Eradio Valverde

By the way here's today's text: Revelation 21:10 And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.22 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; 4 they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.