Dec 31

 

Romans 8:28

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Dec 29

 

Ezekiel 34:12

12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.

Dec 28

 

Psalms 55:22

22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.

Dec 27

 

Matthew 2:10

10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

Dec 26

 

Luke 2:13

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

Dec 21

 

Luke 1:32

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,

Christmas Message

 Mary wrapped the first Christmas gift.

That sounds like a very commercial statement to some, but if you think about it, she wrapped the first Christmas present for the rest of us. When she took baby Jesus from whoever helped her deliver her baby and wrapped baby Jesus in swaddling, she was wrapping the first Christmas present to the world.

Only the commercialization and the slow generational change in perception of the value of the lessons Jesus of Nazareth, who became the Christ, have eroded the importance of this present Mary wrapped up for us all. We have forgotten the value of that gift that Mary gave the world. When you consider that he was a Jewish man who set out to change the inequities not only in his religion but in the world's relationships with each other, then you realize the value of Mary's gift to us. Jesus was not trying to find or start a new religion. He was trying to fix the one that he grew up in. Jesus was preaching love, peace, and harmony with all humankind, regardless of who or what they believed in. He understood that humanity needed to accept each other for who we are and what we believe in as long as it did not cause harm to others. He was not concerned that the Romans worshipped a pantheon of other gods or that the Samaritans or others had other gods that they held higher than the one he followed and the one he became.

So when Mary wrapped Jesus in swaddling, she was wrapping a gift for all of man and womankind to pursue peace with each other, love towards each other, and harmony with all those we interact with, whether we agree with their views or not. These lessons that were repeatedly taught and repeated over and over by his apostles after his crucifixion have been lost to the ravages of time. Saint Peter and Saint Paul passed his teachings along, leading to the formation of a  church. It is known as the Catholic Church or universal church. The message of love, harmony with each other, and peace towards the world was the cornerstone of the teachings of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. You would be hard-pressed to find that in the teachings of most of the present-day churches. You will find that there is hate, exclusion, and dogma that is meant to bind you to a very narrow defined selection of scriptures in the Bible. The selected scriptures are used to further their agenda, not the Christ's teachings.

This is why the younger generation stepped away from organized religion like Christianity and chose to take a spiritual route. So, let's take a moment during this holiday season and realize that we need to embrace the first Christmas gifts given to us by Mary all those many thousands of years ago. We need to reembrace understanding of each other, love towards each other, and peace with all those around us. It should not matter if they have the same belief in the same denomination that we do. It should only matter if they are spiritually aware of the gift and the teachings that came from that gift.

I leave you with this thought. We need to follow Christ's Teachings, not worship Christ. Mary wrapped us up the perfect gift: A gift for all humankind. It is there for any one of us to unwrapped and embrace. It is the teaching of the baby she swaddled that day. 

¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 

¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  Col. 3:14-15 (ESV)

I wish you a joyful Christmas with many blessings for the New Year.

Dec 19

 

Isaiah 49:13

13 Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

Dec 18

 

Isaiah 25:9

9 In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

Dec 17

 

Luke 2:10

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

Dec 15

 

Malachi 3:1

1 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

Dec 14

 

Genesis 22:18

18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Dec 12

 

Isaiah 7:14

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Dec 9

 

Romans 12:12

12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Dec 8

 

Philippians 1:6

6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Dec 7

 

Dec 6

 

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Advent

 

Dec 4

 

Isaiah 40:31

31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Dec 3

 

Lamentations 3:22

22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

Nov 28

 

Psalms 69:30

30 I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Nov 27

Isaiah 12:4

4 In that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 

Nov 24

 

Psalms 100:4

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Thanksgiving 23

 

Nov 22

 

Psalms 95:1

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Nov 18

 

Proverbs 15:1

1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Nov 15

John 14:2

2 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? 

Nov 14

 

Psalms 23:6

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Nov 11

 

1 Chronicles 16:35

35 Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.”

Nov 9

 

1 John 2:23

23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

MMIW

 

Raising Our Voices

In  support of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and their Families

 Violence and abuse affect women in every country and every walk of life. We are assaulted daily by social and news media accounts of the latest atrocities. Social scientists note that sexual discrimination, physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, sexual assault, rape, detention, isolation, control of money, shelter, time, food, etc., financial exploitation, trafficking, and other forms of abuse and violence against women respects neither race, ethnicity, culture, wealth, position, religious belief or age. Violence against women is rampant and is egregious. It is of particular concern with regard to Indigenous women. As a people of faith, we are called and required to raise our voices in opposition to these crimes and in support of the victims and their families.

 In 2016, when First Nation peoples of Canada began calling attention to this plight there were over 5000. Since that time the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement has spread across North America. Federal governments in both Canada and the United States have passed legislation addressing the issues.

 Canada is engaging with Indigenous organizations through It's Time: Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence (GBV), to put forward actions to help address violence against Indigenous women and girls and LGBTQ and Two-Spirit People. The Government of Canada continues to invest in housing, education, and the transformative reform of child and family services with a focus on prevention, ensuring children are connected to their language and culture, and keeping families together. The inquiry's interim report recognized strong links between the child welfare system and violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada and identified a need for responsive, accountable, and culturally appropriate child and family services.

 In the United States, the Department of Justice is committed to fully implementing Public Law No. 116-165, Savanna’s Act.  Signed into law in October 2020, Savanna’s Act was a bipartisan effort to improve the federal response to missing or murdered indigenous persons (MMIP), including by increasing coordination among Federal, State, Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies. The DOJ is focusing on five main areas: Consultations and Listening Sessions, Outreach and Training, Federal Law Enforcement Guidelines, State, Local, and Tribal Law Enforcement Guidelines, and

Data collection, access, and reporting.

 Yet the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women continues to be an issue with the number of women and girls at over 4000.

 Oglala Lakota holy man Black Elk (1863-1950) said, “It is not enough to have a vision. In order to have its power, you must enact your vision on earth for all to see. Only then do you have the power.”

 We call upon all members of the Reformed Catholic Church and all people of goodwill who share our vision of a more just and equitable society to raise their voices in support of indigenous women. If you see something, say something. If you are speaking with your local representatives at the local, state, or federal levels, inquire for an update on what the government is doing to solve these cases.

 In addition, we invite you to join us in this prayer for all those who are missing or have been murdered, especially on February 14 and May 5 of each year.

 Prayer

 O God, the Great Spirit, who gives light and life to all creation, we place before you the plight of the Indigenous Women and Girls who are missing, trafficked, or murdered. We ask You to stir the hearts of all humanity to raise their voices in support of efforts to solve these cases. Be with the family members of those whose fate is unknown. Bring all your people together into one family forever. Amen.

 

 

 

 

Nov 7

 

1 Peter 5:7

7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Nov 3

 

Colossians 3:15

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Oct 31

 

1 Peter 3:14

14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats ; do not be frightened.”

Oct 27

 

Matthew 10:28

28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

oct 27

 

Romans 5:17

17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Oct 24

 

Romans 5:8

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Oct 23

 

2 Peter 1:21

21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Oct 22

 My dad would have been 107 today.  There are many days I reflect on his harsh lessons and his kind soul.  He did so much with a 6th-grade education.  He earned his way to heaven by having to liberate a death camp in WW2 alone.  He did so much to make me and my brother better people.  I carried bitterness for years till I realized how much I called on the lessons he gave us to improve my life and those around me.  Rest in continued Peace.

Oct 19

 

Psalm 42:11

11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Oct 18,2023

 

Revelation 1:8

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Oct 16, 23

 

Haggai 2:6-7

6 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty.

Oct 10, 2023

 

1 Peter 4:10

10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Oct 5

 

Zechariah 8:16

16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts;

Oct 3

 

2 John 1:6

6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

Oct 2

 

Luke 6:35

35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

Sept 28

 

1 Peter 4:8

8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Sept 25

 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong

Sept 21

 

James 4:7  (NIV)

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Sept 15

 

1 John 5:13-14 (NIV)

13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

Sept 12

 

Psalm 128:2  (NIV)

2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.

Sept 11

 

1 Thessalonians 1:3  (NIV)

3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sept 8

 

Ecclesiastes 5:18 (NIV)

18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot.

Sept 6

 Wise words

Matthew 6:26-27 (NIV)

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Sept 4

 

Psalm 128:1-2 (NIV)

1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to him. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours

August 30

 

Psalm 19:1 (NIV)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

August 27

 

Zechariah 2:11  (NIV)

11 “Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.

August 22

 

James 2:17 (NIV)

17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

August 21

 

John 8:12 (NIV)

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

August 16

Psalm 147:3 (NIV)

3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

August 15

 

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NIV)

16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

August 13

Isaiah 33:2 (NIV)

2 LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. 

August 10

 

Lamentations 3:31-32 (NIV)

31 For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.

August 8

 

Romans 10:9-10  (NIV)

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

August 7

 

Mark 11:25  (NIV)

25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

August 2

Luke 18:42-43

42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God 

August 1

 

Isaiah 53:4-5 (NIV)

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

7/27/2023

 

Psalm 30:2  (NIV)

2 LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.

7/25/23

 

Romans 8:38-39  (NIV)

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 (Codex Sinaiticus - oldest existing NT manuscript.

8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do you notice the difference?  So next time someone tells me that the Bible has never changed and the words are exact, my answer is they are wrong.  Man has manipulated the words of God in the Bible multiple time throughout history to fit an agenda.  Take the current battle over homosexuality.  First, the word did not exist in the English lexicon until the late 1960s to 1970s, so there was no way it would have been in the Bible.  Secondly, the addition of the word into the Bible anywhere was forced on the publishers by the United State Council of Churches.    Just one example is 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 which is one of the six most quoted scriptures by the LBGQT+ haters.

The actual translation from the oldest known manuscript is as follows

9 Or know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit God’s kingdom? Be not deceived: neither lewd persons, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor catamites, nor sodomites.

10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Now compared to the one with the anti-gay quote. 

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men

10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Do you see the substitution?  We need to be very careful about what we quote and the true source.   There is a very vile agenda afloat that has nothing to do with the original teachings of Jesus nor with the teaching of Saint Peter or Paul.