"Heal the sick." We were told what to do, not how to do it. All we got was this: "Freely you have received; freely give." The big hint, then is, that we have received something that, when we give it away, brings healing, resurrection, liberation, and cleansing to broken people in a broken world. The Master didn't say to spend endless hours figuring it out. We learn as we go and grow. He said, "Get started on your journey." So, let's go. Continue reading

"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 2:7 "'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." So observed either Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston, Jr.in this poem published anonymously in 1923. What seemed so magical in the roaring 20s reflected a sense of urgency, expectancy, and wonder experienced by Mary and Joseph as they awaited the birth of a son. “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In... Continue reading

Unlike most of us, God never turns His head to avoid looking at the unpleasantness of the poor, the ugliness of the broken, or the raw pain of the oppressed. He gazes into the eyes of the disenfranchised and hears the cry that they utter. Perhaps our greatest opportunity to reflect God's presence to the poor today begins with looking people in the eye and hearing their voices. "Praise the LORD, you that fear him; stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel; all you of Jacob's line, give glory. For he does not despise nor abhor the poor... Continue reading

I am making this Stephen Foster Memorial Day to commemorate the day he died in 1864. What sad and beautiful songs he wrote. Foster died tragically from accident, suicide, or some other trauma that left him bleeding from the neck at the age of 37. None can know what he would have become or how he would have evolved. What he was was a poet and a musician who left a large body of heartfelt mournful and joyful music. Was he an abolitionist? No one knows. Was he a critic of society? Not as it would seem. Was he a... Continue reading

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Now when all... Continue reading

Photo by Benjamin Voros on Unsplash Mighty God lifts humble humanity. All knowing and poly-focused Sovereign lifts the lowly. God of all sufficiency and no need cares to rectify injustice. LORD of creation, whose thoughts are beyond our thoughts .... Knows and enters into our thinking to reveal as much of Himself as ... As we can handle. "He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground." (Psalm... Continue reading

Radical Amazement Abraham Joshua Heschel Born this day in 1907 – Abraham Joshua Heschel, Polish-American rabbi, theologian, and philosopher (d. 1972). Quotes from WikiQuote The time for the kingdom may be far off, but the task is plain: to retain our share in God in spite of peril and contempt. There is a war to wage against the vulgar, the glorification of the absurd, a war that is incessant, universal. Loyal to the presence of the ultimate in the common, we may be able to make it clear that man is more than man, that in doing the finite he... Continue reading

Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. (Revelation 3:2) Harry was discouraged. He fostered such high hopes for progress when he began his life of discipleship. Along the way, he had not met all of his goals. He had experienced the limitations of the flesh and had felt the sting of rebuke. Now, as he evaluated his spiritual progress, all he saw was regress. He had the right answers. On the outside, he seemed like an ideal Christian. On the inside, he was spiritually... Continue reading

On this day in 1889 – Herman Hollerith is issued US patent #395,791 for the 'Art of Applying Statistics' — his punched card calculator https://www.ibm.com/.../builders/builders_hollerith.html https://www.ibm.com/.../vintage/vintage_4506VV2027.html http://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/hollerith.html http://www.columbia.edu/.../computi.../census-tabulator.html On this day in 1926 – Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuỵ is crowned king of Vietnam, the country's last monarch. He was also known as Bảo Đại, "keeper of greatness." As an irrelevant aside, I learned this during my years in San Jose from my Vietnamese friends about kings and teachers: "The teacher bows to no one but the king and the king bows to no one, but his teacher." If... Continue reading

On this day in 1964 – President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a "War on Poverty" in the United States. Johnson, a Roosevelt "New Dealer," envisioned a Great Society that would be sparked by local activists and initiatives, especially young adults who would be activated in cities through programs such as VISTA. In fact, the legacy of the war on poverty policy initiative remains in the continued existence of such federal programs as Head Start, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), TRiO, and Job Corps. That being said, most of what remains and was implemented were simply programs that might be... Continue reading

The Word Became Flesh and We Beheld John 1:1-18 (NRSVU In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to... Continue reading

In my recent years of struggling with physical ailments, I have seldom prayed for them to just go away. hat does not mean I have not prayed for healing, but healing in the form of maximum wellness, optimal wholeness, strength, and eventual complete healing with one stipulation: I have not wanted anything to just go away until it had achieved its maximum benefit for me, for others, and mostly, for the glory and Kingdom of God. This is not a brag or a statement of personal holiness. in fact, it is quite selfish on my part. It is an assessment... Continue reading

Meditations on Scripture Psalm 89: Part II and a Portion from Ezekiel Asterisk (*) indicates a new verse. God makes a big promise to David and his progeny. He has chosen someone to lead his chosen people. We have a chosen leader for a chosen people who are on a special mission in the world. The promise is embellished here and intended to promote vast expansion of the influence of God-worship. You spoke once in vision and said to your faithful people: * “I have set the crown upon a warrior and have exalted one chosen out of the people.... Continue reading

https://kingsriverlife.com/01/04/remembering-our-neighbors-homeless-memorial/ Continue reading

Seeing Home from Afar Another definition of faith is the capacity to see promises from a distance and greet them as reality. "All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them." - Hebrews 11:13 Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and Jospeh provide the examples. All embraced hope. All left something behind. All reached forward. All considered themselves resident aliens on this planet. All kept moving toward their true home. Hebrews 11:13-22 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them.... Continue reading

I was blessed, seventy years ago, to be born into a loving family with two parents. Not all children have that blessing. God is parent to these children and calls us to care for them as well. I’m raising money for City Without Orphans and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500. You could even donate $7 or $70 to help me celebrate my 70th birthday. Go to https://www.facebook.com/donate/1267512917814952/10170287889065015/ I have served on the board of this great organization for a number of years. It is OK if this is not a good time. Take... Continue reading

Simple, honest, caring, respectful, low-key, God-confident εὐαγγελίου (Announcement of Good News - Evangelism) Insights from today's Psalm. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" -Psalm 34:8 ESV How does do people take a taste of God? That is what most people do before coming to faith. They taste. They listen. The do some reading. They investigate. They hang out with God's people. They involve themselves in discipleship. They ask questions and explore. At some point they come to a crisis of belief and decision. Then they make one of... Continue reading

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Photo by Romario Roges on Unsplash “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” Jesus said that wheat and tares would grow together until the end of time and that in the end, God Himself would sort them out. Until that time, we are called to live without the burden of judging others, without condemnation, and with a solemn commitment not to destroy anything of God’s planting in the futile process of sorting our evil... Continue reading

Notes: Ask and Answer Accept Advance Admire Growing Stronger And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him..– Luke 2:40 Jesus grew. He was not born strong, wise, and full of grace. He was born who He was: the Son of God, but the Son of God, God the Son had emptied Himself and taken on Himself the form of a servant. Therefore, it was required that He submit to the process of maturation physically, emotionally, relationally, intellectually, and spiritually. We, when we were children, often wanted the privileges... Continue reading

On this day in 1811 – A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia kills the Governor of Virginia George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia Abraham B. Venable. In all, the fire, at the Richmond Theater, killed 72 people including many government officials. It was the worst urban disaster in U.S. history at the time. James Madison, John Marshall, James Monroe, Edmund Pendleton, George Wythe, George Nicholas, Edmund Randolph, George Mason, Richard Henry Lee, and Patrick Henry were all in attendance for a performance of "School for Scandal." The School for Scandal is a comedy... Continue reading

On this day in 1811 – A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia kills the Governor of Virginia George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia Abraham B. Venable. In all, the fire, at the Richmond Theater, killed 72 people including many government officials. It was the worst urban disaster in U.S. history at the time. James Madison, John Marshall, James Monroe, Edmund Pendleton, George Wythe, George Nicholas, Edmund Randolph, George Mason, Richard Henry Lee, and Patrick Henry were all in attendance for a performance of "School for Scandal." The School for Scandal is a comedy... Continue reading

Merry Christmas! May this and every day be a Mass of Christ, Merry, joyful, and filled with celebration. May you be blessed today with Light dawning upon your souls. May you be lifted by the reality and meaning of incarnation that ... You. like Mary, can carry, in your being, the presence of God ... And give birth to a miracle of hope. May you, your loved ones, and your homes be cauldrons of joy .... Bubbling out into the streets of your community. May you join many, as instruments of just and peace, Inspired by the One from Heaven... Continue reading

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https://unsplash.com/photos/stainless-steel-spoons-and-spices-on-gray-wooden-table-1VSK-jsU_co What treats will you be tasting this season? What background music will you be playing? It will depend upon your personal tastes. How about your taste in fashion? There are 34 references to the word, "taste" in the New International Version of the Bible. While several boos used it three times, the most frequent user was the author of Job. Job uses the word four times: Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the white of an egg? Job 6:6 Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food? - Job 12:11 "As... Continue reading