Jesus Is Coming

Prepare The Way For The Lord

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“…as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”[a]—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”[b]

Mark 1:2-3 NIV

God’s story and God’s plan is greater than our self-centered desires…we are a part of His story, not the other way around.  We all have been given certain gifts to use while we are here…our job is to recognize the gifts we have been given and to use them to help others.  We are to do our part to Prepare the Way for the coming of the Lord.  Amen.

Prepare Ye The Way by Michael W Smith

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.“

John 1:1-5 NIV

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Holy Saturday…Preparation Day

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“I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:13-14 NIV

It is finished…Jesus, the Messiah, had been crucified and died.  We all know the coming glory of tomorrow…however, when these events were happening, it is hard to comprehend the level of sorrow and sadness that had to exist on the day between His death and resurrection.  Unfortunately, in the world today many of us suffer at a deep level of sorrow because of our sin and evil.  Our saving grace and our truth is we know that from the most devastating tragedy, God will renew and restore us…Resurrection Day is coming.  Trust in the Lord for He is good and His love endures forever.  Amen.

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“Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body.  Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in the tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.  It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.”

Luke 23:52-54 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Badlands National Park in South Dakota)

The Season To Celebrate Jesus

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Portions of this post were originally published in December of 2018…

“After the Wise Men had listened to the king, they went on their way. The star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them. It finally stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. 11 The Wise Men went to the house. There they saw the child with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures. They gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh.”

Matthew 2:9-11 NIRV

Music has a way of touching my soul and the hymns of Christmas, the traditional spiritual hymns that tell the story of the birth of Christ are a powerful source of peace for me.  The Savior will be born and He is coming to save all people.  The hymn “O Come, All Ye Faithful” was playing in my mind today with the phrase ‘O come let us adore him’, it gets me thinking about what Jesus did for you and for me…being born as a baby, what He gave up and what He went through to save us.  I encourage you to find your favorite Christmas place wherever you are put on some of the hymns of Christmas and give thanks to Jesus Christ this Christmas Season.  Amen.

O Come, All Ye Faithful by Pentatonix

winter 2013 004 publish

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;  for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”

Psalm 95:6-7 NIV

(This photo was taken in February of 2013 while on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Prepare The Way For The Lord

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Portions of this post were originally published in December of 2020…

“…as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”[a]—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”[b]

Mark 1:2-3 NIV

God’s story and God’s plan is greater than our self-oriented desires…we are a part of His story, not the other way around.  We all have been given certain gifts to use while we are here…our job is to recognize the gifts we have been given and to use them to help others.  We are to do our part to Prepare the Way for the coming of the Lord.  Amen.

DSC09993 publish

“In the beginning, the Word was already there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without him. 4 Life was in him, and that life was the light for all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness. But the darkness has not overcome the light.“

John 1:1-5 NIRV

(This photo was taken in October 0f 2014 at sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Prepare The Way For The Lord

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God’s story and God’s plan is greater than our self-oriented desires…we are a part of His story, not the other way around.  We all have been given certain gifts to use while we are here…our job is to recognize the gifts we have been given and to use them to help others.  We are to do our part to Prepare the Way for the coming of the Lord when He returns.  Amen.

“…as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”[a]—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”[b]

Mark 1:2-3

DSC09993 publish

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

John 3:36

(This photo was taken in October 0f 2014 at sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Advent Season

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Today is the beginning of Advent.  The season of preparation and expectant waiting to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas and His return at the Second Coming.  We have many resources to help us observe this season, with calendars, candles, special devotionals, etc.  Observing the rituals is one part of the process, actually preparing our hearts and minds with the meaning behind these symbols will help us to grow in our faith.  For me the Advent wreath and candles are the symbols I choose to learn more about, there are four candles one for each week.  Some traditions include a fifth candle called the Christ candle.  As with many things different religions have different ways to celebrate these weeks.  My preferred 4 themes are:

Hope–Peace–Joy–Love.

Hope is confidence in God’s faithfulness…even when everything going on around us is telling us something different, we can have hope because we know that God is working for our good in all things.  Spend time this week reflecting on where you have seen God at work in your life or in the lives of others and renew your hope by remembering these things.  Remember with God all things are possible.  Amen.

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in northern Colorado)

He Will Come Back

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Jesus Christ will come again.  We read about this is several places in the bible.  It is His final promise and He has kept every single promise He ever made.  Trust in God and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ who died to save you…who is the risen Lord and who is coming back to take us to be with Him, forever.  Amen.

Give Me Jesus by Jeremy Camp

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“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

John 14:1-3

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Prepare The Way

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Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life.  He gave up everything to save us and to reconcile us with God.  Seek Him and prepare your heart and mind to follow Him in all that you do.  In Him we will find peace, courage, strength, wisdom, joy and love.  There is nothing on earth that can compare to Him.  Amen.

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“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  There was a man sent from God whose name was John.  He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe.  He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.  The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.”

John 1:5-9

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling through southern New Mexico)

 

The Season To Celebrate Jesus

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As I have said in the past music has a way of touching my soul and the hymns of Christmas, the traditional spiritual hymns that tell the story of the birth of Christ are the most powerful source of peace for me.  The Savior will be born and He is coming to save all people.  This morning as I woke up the hymn “O Come, All Ye Faithful” was playing in my mind with the phrase ‘O come let us adore him’, it gets me thinking about what Jesus did for me and for you…being born as a baby, what He gave up and what He went through to save me and to save you.  I encourage you to find your favorite Christmas place wherever you are put on some of the hymns of Christmas and give thanks to Jesus Christ this Christmas Season.  Amen.

winter 2013 004 publish

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;  for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”

Psalm 95:6-7

(This photo was taken in February of 2013 while on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Wait For The Lord

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In our hurried society where everyone seems to be rushing around from one thing to the next, it is hard not to get caught up in it and begin to feel rushed for no particular reason.  Why are we in such a hurry?  What is so pressing?  As I travel the roads of this country from time to time, I observe this increasingly busy life style frequently.  During these days between the Crucifixion and Easter Sunday plan time to be with the Lord and seek His will for you and your life through His timing.  How is God working in your life?  Where can you see His presence?  Who can you help by sharing the Good News?  Seek Him and then wait for Him to lead you.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“I am still confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalms 27:13-14

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Gardens in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)