…try, try again. 3 of 3 (whew)

John 5:25-29

New International Version (NIV)

²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come   when the dead will hear   the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life   in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to judge  because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸ “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming   when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.

Greetings!

In an earlier post, I mentioned Autumn, our recently acquired puppy.  She turned one year old last weekend – she has more energy than any other dog I’ve ever known.  When we take her to the dog park, she is often chased by several other dogs at the park and I have yet to witness any of them running faster that her.  I am not sure if she is running out of fear or playfulness, perhaps a little bit of both.  She came to us with major anxieties and we suspect that she had spent the first five months of her life in a shelter situation.  Perhaps she may have been abused, we’ll never know for sure.  She is very loving, clever and is proving to be a great watch dog.  If she sees a cat on our front lawn from inside the house, she makes a noise similar to a dog with a paw caught in a door – my best description - a sound that brings me to my knees.  She hasn’t done much damage to anything inside the house but can dig a hole in our backyard in what we consider to be record time – webbed toes and curly claws are in her favour, not ours.  When given a particularly delicious treat, she will not only dig a hole in the yard, she will place the treat in the hole and cover it back up.  Her work is quite impressive.  She doesn’t like to be left alone and will whistle if left alone for more than a minute or two.  Like a baby, and if one or all of us has the patience to wait it out, she will eventually settle down and fall asleep.  Her ears stick straight up and despite gravity, they continue to do so, even when she is sleeping.  They move in every which way and are a great indicator as to how she is feeling at any given moment.  We don’t know what kind of dog or breed she is – kind of looks like a large Basenji with some other breeds mixed in…Lab? Doberman? Chihuahua? I have dubbed her, “Carolina Dingo” because the shelter in Norfolk told us that she came to them from a shelter in North Carolina and well, quite frankly, she kind of looks like one.  She loves to play frisbee, dig up worms and eat them, and sleep on our beds.  It’s official, Autumn has won us over and is here to stay.  Despite the holes in the yard, she is a blessing to us and we love her!

I hope you have a blessed evening!

Peace, Jennifer

 

 

…try, try again. 2 of 3

John 5:19-24

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁹ Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself;   he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son   and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these,   so that you will be amazed. ²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,   even so the Son gives life   to whom he is pleased to give it. ²² Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me  has eternal life  and will not be judged  but has crossed over from death to life.

Greetings!

Here is Tuesday’s lesson as suggested by our Adult Bible Studies guide.   Two posts in one day – it CAN be done!  Plus, the day is still young – I am determined to bring us up to speed, at least where this week’s Sunday school lesson is concerned.  Less talk, more action…here goes!

This particular passage should bring me peace because Jesus said, “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me  has eternal life  and will not be judged  but has crossed over from death to life”.  And yet, I can’t help but question what it really means for me to “believe”.  Is there a “belief” gauge?  How do I know for sure, for sure, for sure, that I really honestly do believe in God?

I mean, I truly believe that I believe in God, but do I believe in Him enough to earn/deserve a place in His Kingdom?  Is my interpretation of belief going to be enough or is God thinking, “Girl, you have a long way to go”.  No doubt.  I’m aware of the things I need to be doing in order to get closer to God such as prayer, enduring constant tests of faith, deflecting the enemy, my journey/faith walk, attending church/Sunday school/bible studies, sharing The Word, etc but what if my intentions aren’t measuring up to His expectations?  Are you sure there isn’t a ”Believers” report we can print off or something ???

Some days I’d like to have it all spelled out for me, can you relate?

Questions aside, this passage also sparked a memory of our church’s production of Godspell from a few years ago.  The verbage, “Very truly I tell you” brought me back to the parables, the long rehearsals, the talented musicians and singers/actors involved in the show.  One of the musicians has remained a dear and thoughtful friend over the years.  He played the harmonica in our Godspell house band – I don’t think he ever missed a rehearsal and he never complained about the long hours or the never ending ”take it from the top’s”.  His name is Herman “Doc” West and he is the real deal, isn’t he?

     This peony was one of several that Herman had given to me from his garden at the side of his house.   My daughter and I enjoyed the flowers for two, maybe three weeks (I have nothing against a dying bouquet).  The house was filled with nature’s perfume during that time and although the flowers have since been spent, I’m glad that I have this image, among others, to share with you.

Peace,

Jennifer

…try, try again. 1 of 3

Philippians 3:7-11

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss   for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing   Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,   but that which is through faith in^[a] Christ—the righteousness   that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know   Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings,   becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection  from the dead.

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 3:9 Or through the faithfulness of

Greetings!

The above scripture is Monday’s reading assignment – Tuesday and Wednesday’s will follow shortly, fingers crossed.  This week we are preparing for this Sunday’s ”The Resurrection and the Life” lesson – it’s purpose is (for us) to understand Jesus’ words, “I am the resurrection”.

This particular scripture is an excerpt from Paul’s thank-you letter written, while under house arrest, primarily, to the people of Philippi.  He was thanking them for their gifts to him during his time in prison.  In Monday’s lesson, Paul shares his desire to know the ”power of the resurrection”.    If you have time, please reread the book of Philippians – In my opinion, Paul’s messages to the people of Philippi are very relatable to our own lives.  I can’t help but wonder how we would judge someone with Paul’s past…

      but I digress…

A mystery plant has shown up in a soil-filled pot currently being used to neatly cover up one of many holes (sigh) dug in our yard by our one year old puppy, Autumn.

Normally, I would have taken the plant for a weed and disposed of it.  For whatever reason, I was curious to see what this plant would grow into so instead of pulling it out, I watered it.  In a few days, leaves and long green stems with pods on the end of them emerged from the soil.

In a week or so, the pods opened up, revealing what I believe to be (Flanders?) poppies.  I had never seen a real poppy up close & personal before, had only seen the fuzzy plastic imitations worn on Remembrance Day (in Canada).  I am mesmerized by the real deal.

I know this isn’t a gardening blog but I have to ask, have you ever seen poppies growing in Chesapeake?  In my google search, I have stumbled across an even bigger question…does anyone have a legal issue with growing poppies?  Should I be worried?

Stay tuned for Tuesday’s lesson!

Peace,

Jennifer

 

You Can Handle The Truth!

John 8:31-38

New International Version (NIV)

Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”³³They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷ I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. ³⁸ I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.^[a]”

Footnotes:

1. John 8:38 Or presence. Therefore do what you have heard from the Father.

Greetings!

There’s still time to prepare for tomorrow’s Sunday School lesson, “Jesus Testifies to the truth”.  For class members who may not have their Cokesbury Student book on hand, here are your reading assignments:

Psalm 43
Psalm 86:8-18
John 18:1-24
John 18:28-37

Up until this morning, prior to reading the above scripture, I had no idea that “the truth shall set you free” was anything more than a popular catch-phrase. I felt my head tilt to the side as I read John 8:32 and I may even have said, “really?” out loud.  So, for fun, I googled the word “catch-phrase” which led me to an online Thesaurus which led me to…(drum roll please)…”proverbs”…which led me to turn to the book of Proverbs in my Bible…which gave me the correct way to say all those proverbs (good to know)…which led me to look up the meaning of the word “Bible” (short version: the books).  I could keep this up for hours!

John 8:32 is actually a two-part series kind of scripture, isn’t it? Part One: Establish “the truth” and Part Two: From “what” does the truth set us free?  I look forward to tomorrow’s lesson/discussion, focus being on John 18:28-37.  In the meantime, something amazing happened this week that I’d like to share with you.

As we were getting ready for school one morning, my daughter asked if she could give her friend one of our Bibles.  Unintentionally, we have a growing collection.  There are a couple of children’s story Bibles, teen NIV Bibles, at least one King James version, my grandmother’s family Bible, my hardcover copy of the NIV Study Bible (a heavy read in more ways than one!), and so on.  Can you relate?  Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by her request to give one away.

Since attending a recent youth retreat, my daughter has decided to read the Bible from cover to cover.  She carries it with her where ever she goes.  It is not uncommon for her to read it at lunch time, in the middle-school cafeteria, no less.  You remember middle school, right?  Kids can be pretty rough on each other.

She was very matter of fact about it when she told me that she wanted to give one of our Bibles to her friend who didn’t own one.  She selected an NIV Bible that suited the occasion and put it in her bookbag.  I didn’t want to make a big thing about it by asking a lot of questions (of which I had plenty) but really, it’s not my place to ask.  God’s working through both of them and that is all that matters.  Amazing on so many levels, right?

Peace be with you!

Jennifer

The LIGHT

John 12:36-43

New International Version (NIV)

³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.”When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

Belief and Unbelief Among the Jews

³⁷ Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:   “Lord, who has believed our message    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”^[a]

³⁹For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes    and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes,    nor understand with their hearts,    nor turn—and I would heal them.”^[b]

⁴¹Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

⁴² Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

Footnotes:

1. John 12:38 Isaiah 53:1
2. John 12:40 Isaiah 6:10

Greetings!

I’ve been sitting at the computer for a while now, willing myself to post today’s Bible lesson and write something, anything at all! and select a photo or two to share with you.

As luck would have it, I came across an email, sent to me from a friend in GA, that I’d like to share with you (see below).  I’m off and running now!

a) insert today’s Bible lesson – check!

b) write something – check!

c) insert a photo…hmm

How about this one?  I used the Venetian blinds in our kitchen to control the amount of light coming into the room.  On this particular day, I played around with shadows.   One thing led to this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

which came from this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

which led me to this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope I can redeem myself with the following link

http://www.andiesisle.com/ThisBlessingIsForYou.html

 

Enjoy and have a fabulous weekend!

Peace,
Jennifer
ps no bugs were hurt in the taking of this photo

Happy Valentine’s Day

Acts 2:32-39

New International Version (NIV)

³² God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. ³³ Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. ³⁴For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand ³⁵ until I make your enemies    a footstool for your feet.”’^[a]

³⁶“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

³⁷When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Footnotes:

1. Acts 2:35 Psalm 110:1

Greetings!

I can only wonder if our Winter bible-studies-guide writer had Valentine’s Day in mind when he assigned this particular verse for today’s read.  I am not sure if it is a good fit for the day so I’m going to leave well enough alone and do what I do best…ramble on about something endearing that I witnessed yesterday…

I stopped by a local florist shop to pick up some flowers for Valentine’s Day.  After a few minutes of hunting through the jungle of arrangements in wait for delivery, I found a sales clerk and put in my request for a few roses and baby’s breath for that special someone in my life, my daughter.  The shop was packed to the door with everything Valentine.

As I waited for my order,  a group of teenage boys were slowly taking over the store.  They were in search of the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for their friend’s girlfriend.  Their conversation was definitely “utube” worthy…it was hilarious!  Their friend was nervously trying to pick out a stuffed animal.  Each animal he held up was quickly rejected by one member of the group or another.  The word “lame” was mentioned often, followed by a brief explanation as to why, followed by laughter.  It was hard to tell if his buddies were helping him or making his stressful situation even worse but one thing was clear.  He was relying on their help in a big way.

By the time I was called to the counter to pay for my flowers, the boys had collectively selected a pink stuffed bear – it’s redeeming feature being long arms that could reach around the vase of flowers they had agreed upon.  As I turned to leave, I noticed that the group had migrated to the card rack, which brought on more suggestions and laughter.  In the end, it was hard to tell if the main guy had picked out any of the items for his girlfriend by himself or not.   I can’t help but wonder if today’s receiver of that particular pink teddy bear will ever know how many people and effort went into selecting her gifts!

I absolutely adore Valentine’s Day – ANY excuse to take the time to tell friends/family/a special someone how I feel about them is absolutely welcomed by me - something I try to incorporate into my daily routine.  However, “love” may come and go in our lives, despite our best efforts.  One thing’s for certain, where love is concerned -  GOD loves each and every one of us, always and forever!

Praise HIM and hallelujah for GOD’s love!!   HIS is a John 3;16 kind of love and it just doesn’t get any better than that, does it?

Happy Valentine’s Day!   I love you all!

Jennifer

     Galatians 3:1-14

New International Version (NIV)

     Galatians 3

     Faith or Works of the Law

¹ You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. ² I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? ³ Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?^{[a] 4} Have you experienced^[b] so much in vain—if it really was in vain? ⁵ So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? ⁶ So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”^[c]

⁷ Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. ⁸ Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”^{[d] 9}So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

¹⁰ For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”^{[e] 11} Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”^{[f] 12} The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”^{[g] 13} Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”^{[h] 14}He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Footnotes:

1. Galatians 3:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.

Greetings!

Winter finally arrived in this neck of the woods.  It arrived in a drama filled storm last night.  Rain!  Thunder!  Wet, fat, February flakes of blinding snow!  Wind, strong enough to blow our large city garbage can across the front lawn…don’t get me started on tree limbs! Big fat February flakes of snow!   I’m just thankful the roof was still intact this morning…I stayed awake most of the night, or so it felt, listening to the wind and imagining the worse!   Luckily, no damage was done and here we are at the end of the day with little to no sign left of the storm.  Amazing how quickly it came and went.

Our puppy, Autumn, enjoyed her first snow experience to the max!  She ran around like a crazy pooch in the snow last night and enjoyed eating a great deal of it this morning.  She didn’t hesitate to get her feet wet, so to speak.  There was no hiding the fact that Autumn loves snow!

I hope we all make time this week to enthusiastically dig into our bibles, figuratively speaking, and experience the written word with the same level of enthusiasm as Autumn did with the snow.  Perhaps if we read the written word with that kind of energy we will be charged with a newfound faith, one that will bring us great joy in our lives…one that will be evident to those around us, and make them want to know more about what brings us such great joy!

Peace,

Jennifer