Sheep Food

  I can certainly appreciate you wanting to give even ‘more heed’ to the words that Jesus spoke as we have recorded in the four gospels, and are printed in ‘red letters’ at that! But I would also caution you to avoid being too quick to dismiss all those ‘other letters in black’, that we have recorded in the various epistles written down by the likes of Paul, Peter, James and John. I heard a congressman make the statement last week that he was a “Matthew 25 Only Christian”…which made me chuckle. I’m sorry…but I don’t believe that is an ‘option’ for us; but to each their own. So let’s look at some of those words Jesus spoke, and I’d like to draw your attention to Luke 13:1-5, where a conversation is unfolding between Jesus and a gathering of folks wanting to understand why some unfortunate tragedies befell a number of people in the region. Many of us  often want to ask ‘why’…such things happen to people, so let's listen to the question Jesus asked them, twice…citing two differe...

  You say you believe there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe…and they tremble. (James 2:19) I find myself circling back regularly to the passage in John’s gospel that sparked this blogging journey 5 years ago; and I still continue to draw fresh manna from it, nuggets of truth that continue to amaze me. I say ‘amaze’ because I still shake my head in wonder and even shame a times…as to how and why I never saw so much of this before. It’s found in the 8th chapter, beginning at vs. 31, where we are told that Jesus was talking to “those Jews who believed in Him’. Jews who believed… in, on, or simply ‘Him’ (depending on what translation you read). What does that even mean to you, that they ‘believed Jesus’? That’s when He points out to those who claim to ‘believe Him’…”IF…you abide or continue in My word, you are My disciples in deed.” Please circle ‘if’ in your Bible, if it isn’t already; because that is what ‘disciples’ to- they continue on in His word. Then Jesus ...

  It was another one of those ‘defining moments’ that I mentioned in a post the other day, where I had a significant learning lesson to take in as I was ‘back in school’ learning what it meant to ‘abide in Jesus’. I was about a year and a half in from having that ‘personal awakening’ that I refer to here regularly; so this incident took place five years ago. My family was making their way out to South Carolina to spend some time with my brother and his crew at his lake home, which had been a gathering place for family reunions over the past two decades. I had actually flown out two days earlier to spend some time with my parents who lived close by, but would not be able to venture up to the lake house due to their age and physical limitations. By now, I had already settled in to a pattern of early morning risings to spend time in the word where I’d pour over more scripture. I had begun to fill up countless legal pads with notes, but mostly writing out particular verses that I be...