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Showing posts from June, 2018

Household

"The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked,'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They replied,'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.' And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God."  Acts 16:29-34 Our household is quickly moving back to where it started some 30 years ago. The young starry eyed couple carrying now the evidence in soul and body of having traveled a few miles. In and now out of the doors of this family have traveled a next generation each one as unique as a sunset. The prayer then, now a

Stillness

"'Go out and stand before me on the mountain,' the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, ... " I Kings 19:11-13 There are a few members of our family who tend towards the more dramatic. It keeps life interesting. There's a largeness to the big emotion and there is certainly a place for it. The more subdued among us enjoy the smiles inspired by their flair. It is, however, due to their willingness to enter into our more low key worlds that allows room for our relationshi

Scattered

"...A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. ... But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went." Acts 8:1-4 When our family gets together these days, numbered among us is one dog, one puppy, and one fully mobile 1 year old granddaughter. The three of them are quite the friend group/partners in crime, full of energy and into everything. It doesn't take long for them to take all that's within reach and scatter it all throughout the house -- shoes, clothes, toys, water bottles and the like. They serve as a tangible reminder of life.  It didn't take long for the same group of violent religious leaders who killed Jesus to continue their attacks against Jesus' followers. They murdered a Spirit-filled man named Stephen and began to actively pursue more. As a result, this ini

Devoted

"Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church -- about three thousand in all. They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and fellowship, sharing in the Lord's supper, and in prayer." Acts 2:41-42 I was determined. The fishing was amazing and I couldn't let a second time guy catch more than me. The sun was beginning to set and time was running out. 60, 61, 62 ... No matter how focused and devoted I was, he was just as much. I couldn't pass him up. The daily final tally was 63 trout for me and 68 trout for him. My sole comfort was knowing that the previous year I was the one who showed him how to catch them. In recording the beginnings of Jesus' church, Luke chronicled the incredible devotion of these new Christ followers. They were at their launching pad. At that time, no one else on planet earth shared their faith in Jesus. How could they possibly survive the attacks that wer