Tag: world

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117, it is just two verses. Yet these two verses are immensely profound in their simplicity. You want to boil things down to the minimum and just look at the core of human existence? Then here you go:

“Praise the Lord, all you nations! Worship Him, all you peoples! Because God’s faithful love towards us is strong, the Lord’s faithfulness lasts forever! Praise the Lord!”

It doesn’t get much simpler than this, Praise the Lord. Worship Him. Because, He is faithful. His love is strong towards us and He is forever faithful. Thus, we should, Praise the Lord! No matter what you are facing, no matter what difficulties or trials befall you, Praise the Lord! In the good and in the bad, Praise the Lord! In the sun and in the rain, Praise the Lord! In life and in death, Praise the Lord! In sickness and in health, Praise the Lord! In the hardest of times and in the best of times, Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord,

you are loved,

cj

Perfection!

Perfection!

How many of you are perfectionists? You do, and do and do until, in your eyes, the thing you were doing is perfect, unless in your eyes perfection isn’t attainable. In which case you don’t even attempt it for fear of failure! How many of you have given up on perfection as an unachievable mark? There is no way it will ever be perfect so why bother! Then there are those that do without any prejudice or thought it is just that you do things and good is good and bad is bad; therefore you strive for good, which varies by activity. We have talked before about how we should aim for the target. Why would we aim or shoot for anything else?

If the goal is to love our neighbor as ourselves, why would we, on purpose, act any other way? He is an enemy? “Love your enemies, pray for those that persecute you,” it says in Matthew 5, as Jesus teaches on the mount. If we are to take after the widow and orphan, why then would we on purpose neglect them or ignore them? Of the hungry, naked, sick, in-prisoned, should we not do for the least of them as we would even Jesus Himself. As Jesus declares in Matthew 25, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Now if these are the goals, “To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to Love our neighbor as ourselves.” If we aim for that target and somehow miss the mark . . . the pessimist will say, “see an impossible goal is met with imperfection!” A perfectionist will say, “I will fail, therefore, this task is not for me!” While the doer will say, “But I do this one thing:” One thing, is the difference between apparent failure and never trying, “But I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. The GOAL I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

“Failure isn’t falling down. Failure is not getting up after you have fallen down.” ~Richard M. Nixon

A life of dependance . . .

A life of dependance . . .

We all depend on someone or something for life. Some will say they don’t depend on anyone, well that simply says, “I depend on myself.” So the reality is everyone depends on something for their existence. It may be work, that job you hate going to every Monday, or it may be a spouse, or a relative of some sort. It could be the Government, a retirement investment or an inheritance. Some who are very ill depend on machines or medicine for life, without them they die. So whether we like to think in these terms or not we are all dependent upon something or someone for life.

Being dependent upon riches or popularity or even other people, yourself included leads to disappoint, despair, even tragedy. Oh there might be momentary pleasure, riches, even glimpses of happiness. However, we can name person after person of influence who has struggled with fame, fortune, popularity and riches. A quick google search will show us these facts to be true. And whether we like to admit it or not we are dependent by nature. So, lets talk about for a second, the idea of being dependent. For if we are by nature dependent then we should find the true source of our dependence.

i offer up to you this passage from Jeremiah 17:5-8;

Wisdom from the Lord

5 This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
    who rely on human strength
    and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
6 They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
    with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness,
    in an uninhabited salty land.

7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
    and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
    with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
    or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
    and they never stop producing fruit.

 

John D. Rockefeller, (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937)  said, “If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.” Now this coming from a man who arguably was the richest man in modern history. Yet, although rich as could be his dependence was not on his wealth, as this quote here will show, “This Sunday School has been of help to me, greater perhaps than any other force in my Christian life, and I can ask no better things for you than that you, and all that shall come after you in this great band of workers for Christ, shall receive the same measure of blessedness which I have been permitted to have.”

You might argue that it was easy for him to have his dependence on Jesus because he was so wealthy. Well, to that i say what about Horatio G. Spafford. Here is a man who lost everything, with the exception of his wife, “saved alone” from a shipwreck. He went on to pen one of, if not the greatest hymn of all time, “It is well with my soul”. Read his full story here. Today, where do you find your dependence, i submit to you that if your answer is anything but Christ alone, you need to stop what you are doing and reevaluate life and put your hope, trust, confidence . . . dependence on the only one who can and will see you through, Jesus the Messiah.

You are loved,

cj

Aim for the Target!

Aim for the Target!

“You have made the Lord tired with your words. You say, ‘how have we made Him tired?’ When you say: ‘Anyone doing evil is good in the Lord’s eyes,’ or ‘ He delights in those doing evil,’ or ‘Where is the God of justice?‘” These words are found in Malachi 2:17 . . . Later in 3:6 it says; “I am the Lord, and I do not change; . . .” The last book found in the Old Testament is profoundly challenging. It is my currently book of study, meaning i am reading it, rereading it, and re-rereading it. It also means i am sitting in it, meditating on it, and praying through it.

i am by nature a quiet person, but i am also intentionally quiet for reasons also; mainly, to not tire the Lord with my words. This isn’t specifically talking about talking too much but rather not speaking truth when i do open my mouth. We have fallen in love with our culture, much like the Jewish Nation fell in love with theirs and others around them. It became such a challenge for the Priest that they too began to “water down” the Scriptures. They took the standard of God and reduced it to the desire of man. Malachi was called upon to set the record straight. “The Lord does not change, get out of your sinful ways and return to the Lord.“

i often go back and forth over struggles of the culture, the Word of God, grace, mercy, Old covenant, NEW covenant, and how does it all fit and where does it all lead? This warning however at the end of the O.T. is repeated at the end of the N.T. in Revelation written by John in the second and third chapters we read; “…I have a few things against you…” “So change your hearts and lives. If you don’t, I am coming to you soon, I will move your lamp stand from its place if you don’t change your hearts and lives.”

Clearly there is a call to repentance, to right living, to holiness. We by our fallen nature are not in our right minds and therefor need the presence of God to make it! To run the race to the end. In Micah we are told what the Lord requires of us, “To act justly, love Mercy, and to walk humbly with God.” In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 we read, “Don’t you know that all the runners in the stadium run, but only one gets the prize? So run to win. Everyone who competes practices self-discipline in everything. The runners do this to get a crown of leaves that shrivel up and die, but we do it to receive a crown that never dies.”

In a letter Paul writes to the Philippians he says, “. . . become imitators of me and watch those who live this way, you can us us as models. As I have told you many times and now say with deep sadness, many people live as enemies of the cross. Their lives end with destruction . . .” If we put all of this together we see that over and over again humanity in its fallen state, continues to veer off course; That rings true for me and you. Paul gives us hope, in his same letter to the Philippians he writes, “It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it, so that I may grab hold of it because Christ grabbed hold of me for just this purpose. Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t thing I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus. So all of us who are spiritually mature should think this way, and if anyone thinks differently, God will reveal it to him or her. Only let’s live in a way that is consistent with whatever level we have reached.”

We may not always hit the target, but that doesn’t mean we don’t aim for it! As Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” If we don’t aim our lives in the right direction and course correct when needed we will miss the target and that my friends is a frightening thought.

You are Loved,

cj

Stuck in the mud.

Stuck in the mud.

Today, i drove out with a friend to get hay for our horses. We have one, Shrek and they have two, the names escape me. We drove about an hour to a town called Red Lodge in Montana. We had in tow our horse trailer for Shrek to carry the hay. Our Chevy Avalanche is only two-wheel drive with traction control. Having moved from California it’s all we really needed and we picked this up used so it wasn’t a priority over cost. We previously got it stuck in the mud when we were getting the trailer ready for our move. Thanks to some kitty litter we were able to get it unstuck, that was not the case this time.

i was a bit fearful arriving in Red Lodge at the farm where we got the hay. Watched carefully where i was going and every turn was measured for whether or not i would make it through. It was an unfamiliar place and i was much more on my guard. We loaded up the hay and pulled out and all was well. My friend and i had a great conversation and the trip home was quick. Arriving back at the stable we went to park the trailer near the barn for easy unloading of the hay. i was totally comfortable. i swung the trailer around to back in and proceeded to make my way towards the barn, when…you guessed it, i got stuck in the mud. The more i tried to free myself the more stuck i became. My friend came up and asked, “is this four-wheel drive?” We already know the answer to that question.

No amount of struggle would free me because the weight of the trailer was too great. Often we are the same way with the things that weigh us down in life. Struggles and sin weigh us down and many are stuck in the mud. It happens mostly when we are comfortable. We aren’t on the lookout because we feel like we have a handle on life. It’s then the Devil gets his claws in us and drags us down with weights we don’t need to even carry. You know how i got the truck unstuck? i dropped the trailer. Yep, that’s it, i dropped the trailer. Then with a little maneuvering, i was free and on my way.  Dumping the weight of struggle and sin is the same, if we dump it, with a little maneuvering we can be on our way.

With a lesson learned and a path made we can avoid those struggles. If we stay alert to the temptations around us if we look out for one another. If we don’t assume everyone has four-wheel drive, we will be better able to address the needs of our friends before they get stuck in the mud. Having that faith community around us and placing our faith in them we will be ready for the obstacles of life.

1 Peter 5:6-11 says it all:

6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers[b] all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

10 In his kindness, God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 11 All power to him forever! Amen.

You are loved,

cj

Within the Veil

Within the Veil

“And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.” Matthew 27:51 KJV

Such a simple passage that is full of great meaning. The veil of the temple was a giant curtain. This curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the place where man dwelt, basically the rest of the temple. The temple was where the sacrifice was made for the atonement of sin. The Holy of Holies, beyond the veil, was only entered once a year for that purpose by the High Priest. Who first had to be consecrated before he was allowed to enter with the atoning sacrifice for the people.

Here in Matthew 27, we read that upon Jesus breathing His last, “It is finished,” the final atonement of sin offered by our High Priest, Jesus, was offered. The atoning work is done, the need of the veil that separated a Holy God from sinful man was no longer needed, and therefore torn in two. The thing that separated man from God, sin, was dealt a deathly blow. Allowing us to enter the Holy of Holies, God’s presence, on our own. We now dine within the veil. No longer does God dwell in a temple of meeting but rather in our hearts. We are the temple, individually and collectively as the church. Not a church as a place but as a people, a people of God.

We can now bring, on our own, our needs, our hopes, our fears, our sin, our repentance, our faith, our lack of faith, our weakness, and our strength, right into God’s presence. i can carry you there and you can carry me there alone or together, individually or corporately. You see the veil is torn in two! It is gone, it is finished. Jesus was the final atoning sacrifice for the sin of man. When we believe that Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. When we acknowledge Him as our Savior, we enter into the Holy of Holies. That is a very cool thing. To know that we have the opportunity to enter into the presence of Almighty God and He desires us to do so, is really awesome.

Yet, many Christians miss it, they miss the opportunity to sit in the presence of God and dine with Him. All is not lost, however, for to us, a promise is made, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” Revelation 3:20-22

You are Loved,

cj

The Garden

The Garden

Close your eyes for a moment and try to imagine this: You have lived a good life. You have done right, to include some pretty miraculous stuff. In fact, the only folks who don’t like you are religious people.  You have a few really close friends, twelve you suppose. You have lived with them for 3 1/2 years. Traveled near and far with them. You have been in some pretty crazy situations too, rough seas, mobs, and seen incredible miracles. You just enjoyed the Passover feast with them, washed their feet in a symbolic gesture and had what you imagined was a very intimate moment with your best friends.

One of whom was soon to betray you. Set you up with the only people who didn’t like you, the religious. Now you go and do what you have done for as long as you can remember, you and your friends go and pray. You go to one of your favorite spots, the Mount of Olives. There you ask your friends to pray as you walk a little further to be alone and begin to pray. Now the weight of reality hits you. You realize that the thing you have been talking about and the event you have been describing is about to come to pass. The burden is great, and your heart becomes heavy. You get up to check on your friends and find them asleep. You are alone, and you are being tormented by what you know is now rapidly approaching.

You still have free will. You still have choices. You still have an opportunity to avoid every bit of the immediate future you dread. The fate of the world rests on your decision. This is the burden that weighs you down. It has come close to breaking you. Your friends, all but one really, have fled, but even he isn’t by your side, alone you will face the darkness. What choice will you make? Will you take on the injustice, the betrayal, the punishment, death? Or, will you flee, seek another way, attempt escape? This is the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Don’t feel bad for struggling, Jesus too struggled. i view the garden as a significant moment in time. A moment in time where Jesus fell under great temptation. The choice to walk the road of torment or seek for His own another way. He displayed hours before His humility, His heart, His love. Now in the garden, we see His humanity, His brokenness, and His resolve. His choice was for our future. His punishment was for our sin. His suffering was for our hope. His death was for our life. Read through the account written in Luke 22:39-54. (Below is the NLT). Read it all. Read it slowly. Read it twice or three times. Sit in it. Meditate on it. Pray through it. Let your heart go in the moments of its words. At the end, i want you to switch roles, become Peter, read it again, imagine following at a distance…live this passage in your mind, heart, and soul…

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

39 Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. 40 There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation.”

41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. 44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.[a]

45 At last, he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”

Jesus Is Betrayed and Arrested

47 But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss. 48 But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49 When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” 50 And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear.

51 But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? 53 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.”

Pray through this passage, and i will meet you next week at the cross.

You are Loved,

cj

 

In our brokenness, You have made us whole, Thy Kingdom Come

In our brokenness, You have made us whole, Thy Kingdom Come

This is the final installment of our series, “Thy Kingdom Come.” We have been looking at the significance of God’s Kingdom now, in light of our humanness. Our final look, being made whole even in our brokenness. We are broken. The world that was created in which God took a step back and declared “This is Good,” is, no longer…well, good. It is broken. Sin and death have entered through rebellion, and we are suffering the effects of those choices still today. Our hope, in the promise of God that all things will be made new and that through Jesus we too can experience the newness of His perfect creation.

God’s first step (and the only step we will look at today) in this recreation is to make us whole again. An atonement for our sins offered. That act alone is what is required for our salvation. No amount of good works, good deeds, good thoughts, good vibes, or good anything will make up the difference needed…only what was offered on the cross will do. This redemptive act is the pinnacle of our salvation. Colossians 1:19-22 NLT reads like this:

19 For God in all his fullness
    was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
    everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
    by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

This reconciliation has come about by God’s grace. As we end this series, “Thy Kingdom Come” and move into a look at the death and resurrection of Jesus. The very thing we talk about today. i want us to understand that we stand wholly in the Kindom even in our broken world on the merits of Jesus our Lord. As our world grows increasingly hostile to Christianity as a whole, we must not only rest in the assurance of our salvation but also in the warning. First here in Colossians 1:23 NLT.

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

There are countless other warnings that sadly many will ignore, but i offer you this in Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT) a way to keep steady, a way to experience God’s Kingdom here in a broken world. Daily being made whole in our brokenness.

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Finally, yet another warning. Because the power of this world, the pull, the temptation, is strong, so we must remain alert. Let your gratitude and thankfulness flow in a manner that builds on the foundation Jesus Christ is.  Do not be fooled again by the empty promises or the schemes of the prince of this world. You see, “...we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 NLT. Therefore:

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers[a] of this world, rather than from Christ.9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.[b]10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. Colossians 2:8-10 NLT.

In our brokenness, You have made us whole, Thy Kingdom Come.

You are loved,

cj

In our temptation, You have made A WAY, Thy Kingdom Come

In our temptation, You have made A WAY, Thy Kingdom Come

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we read: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Prior to this verse, Paul tells the Corinthians and subsequently us, that the early Jewish nation, “For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Yet, even still, “…with most of them, God was not well pleased.” Why? Well, because the consistently gave into temptation without remorse or repentance. The caveat, our example. (1 Corinthians 6-11)

“6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” 

Now to us, take heed to these warnings, and hold fast to the promise that God will give you an escape hatch when temptation comes your way. What a great feeling to know that God is looking out for us, that He has our best in mind, our prosperity and not our destruction. We need only seek Him with our whole heart and we will find Him.  On the other hand, the devil is aware also and he is fighting for your soul as well. He will stop at nothing to gain control of you and he knows just how to tempt you. He knows your weaknesses, maybe even better than you do. In fact, as Paul warns in verse 12, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Do not get too confident in your own ability to stand but lean on Jesus. Jesus is the ESCAPE HATCH.

you are loved,

cj

In our need, by Your care, Thy Kingdom Come

In our need, by Your care, Thy Kingdom Come

As i wrote about last week, hope is a great motivator but what happens when we find ourselves in need? Desperate or otherwise. We must remember the hope that we have in Christ. We also must remember the Lords “will be done.” Sometimes we find ourselves in circumstances that are not of our doing. We suffer through times that have been brought on by others or natural disasters. In those times we can often lose sight of hope. Yet we mustn’t. It is easy to react, not so easy to relax and wait. Patience is a virtue for a reason. It is a skill that is learned, trained, honed.

Some people are born with patience. It seems their feathers never get ruffled. One such person in history might be the most patient of all and that would be Jesus. We understand that although Jesus was fully God He was also fully man. Hebrews 2:17-18 says:

“For this reason, He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for this sins of the people. Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” (NIV)

And in Philippians 2:5-7:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Chris Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (ESV)

i am sure i have written about His prayer in Gethsemane however, i want to look there again as all of human history. Salvation, reconciliation, love, hope, faith, promise, everything you can think of hinged on that moment in the garden. Jesus being fully man felt the weight of the world on His shoulders and He was in desperate need of the Father. Here is the account found in Matthew 26:36-46:

36 “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” 43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” (NIV)

In the midst of the greatest struggle in human history. The temptation to seek another means of getting the job done. For sealing our fate in the hope of the cross. Jesus prayed three times, three times He asked, “If there is another way…” Yet, in the end, “Thy will be done” Let us pray in such a way. May it be our heart to pour out but in the end have the hope that God’s way is greater than ours and His will, far better than anything we could ever think or imagine. After all, it is God’s Kingdom now that we are seeking, praying for and can find in the power of the resurrection and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

In our need, by Your care, Thy Kingdom Come.

You are Loved,

cj