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A Treat For My Friends

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To you, my friend. Every person who reads one of my posts is my friend. I don't know you, and the reality is, you don’t know me, but I love you. You may live a thousand miles away or across the street, yet if you know or want to know my L ORD and Savior, Jesus Christ, you are my friend, and we are family. How is that possible? Ephesians tells us “…we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.” [1] I know this concept is hard to understand, so let’s think of a human body. There are many parts, hands, feet, arms, legs, eyes, nose, and mouth. There are also parts we keep covered, and even parts inside that we do not see. Well… It’s the same with the body of Christ. God speaking through Paul calls our body parts members, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” [2] What’s Almighty God saying? His point is even though we are different, and God has given us different spiritual gifts, w...

Prayer to Rededicate America to God

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  FLAG robert-linder-fcFEnjBmm14-unsplash Holy, holy, holy, are You, O LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of Your glory. And holy, holy, holy, are You, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. You alone are worthy, O Lord, to receive all glory and honor and power, for You created all things and for Your pleasure they are and were created. Let my prayer be set before You as incense and the lifting of my hands as pleasing to You as the evening sacrifices were before Jesus Christ, our Lord, God in flesh, came to die on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin, was buried, arose the third day from the dead, ascended to heaven, and lives forever to make intercession for us. Thank you, Lord Jesus. We repent before You in dust and ashes.   Today, LORD, the man You chose to be the President of this great nation, Donald J. Trump, has called us to rededicate our country, A m e r i c a , back to You. You chose and preappointed this land as our dwelling place and gave true ...

Slip-Sliding Away

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    FLAG robert-linder-fcFEnjBmm14-unsplash Almost fifty years ago now, my daughter and I took part in America’s 200 th Birthday with our church at the time, St. Jacob’s United Church of Christ. Lorrie was only eleven months old and not walking. So, when we marched in Salem, Ohio’s parade down State Street, you guessed it, I carried her the whole way. But at age 23, that wasn’t a problem for me.   Lorrie and I sported matching 1776 dresses and bonnets I had made, which remain hanging in my closet (I can’t bear to part with them). Before the parade, the women’s group at St. Jacob’s held a fashion show. All who were participating had the privilege of modeling their dresses. It was so fun, and I felt honored to be a part of my country’s celebration.   In 1976, it never occurred to me I would be able to celebrate America’s 250 th Birthday , yet here I am, much older, and I hope, wiser. Today, May 15, 2026, marks fifty days until this second monumental celeb...

Grace, Peace, and Deliverance?

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  www.vecteezy.com " Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins , that He might deliver us from this present evil age , according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." [1]   The world is getting crazier and crazier, and peace is a rare commodity. News outlets air lies made to sound like sensible truth, spewed by educated, stylishly dressed individuals, leaving us to wonder what to believe. Two factions. Two contradicting accounts of the same event, yet only one can be true. Tension rises, and anger festers between the two, and we're caught in the middle. Uncertainty chases peace out the door, and before it can slam shut, their evil schemes, cloaked in piety, sneak in to deceive.   Would we recognize the evil and reject it? [2] Could we be deceived, trapped by the enemy, and end up much worse off? With all the trickery of men and media, how are we supposed to dis...

Jewish Eyes Were Veiled

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Cross Jesus - sewingdivine.com Five days before His crucifixion, Jesus had seated Himself upon a colt, the foal of a donkey, to travel a rough and dusty road to Jerusalem. While this simple, mundane act was something people did daily, for Jesus, it fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy and once again identified Him as Israel’s Messiah.   But Jewish eyes were veiled .   Many who had heard Him teach and witnessed His miracles of the past three years took palm branches and met Him on the road. “Hosanna!” they cried. “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD. The King of Israel.” Yet others were there only for the show.   “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified,” Jesus said.   Knowing the meaning of His statement was hidden from the disciples, [1] He elaborated using a metaphor all could relate to.   But Jewish eyes were veiled .   This was the moment in time when Jesus would be the grain of wheat that falls into the...

Love Abounds

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  www.freepik.com Love  is in the air! Can you feel it? Even in bitter cold and knee-deep snow, our hearts warm with love for our spouse, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all the people who make our lives complete.   If we think about it, during our lifetimes, we’ve experienced a gamut of love: fresh, new love, passionate love, comfortable love, anticipated love, and lost love. But no love as inclusive, all-encompassing, or as perfect as God’s love for us.   I know you know these things and can probably quote John 3:16, alongside the best Bible Quizzers. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”   This glorious, eternal truth escapes many. And these are left wondering whether physical life is all there is.   In 1969, artist Peggy Lee sang the ballad, “Is That All There Is?” The song’s words and melody were so melancholy and ...