The Lamb IS the Light, Revelation 21

The end of March is the dawning into spring, and longer days, warmer temperatures, and LIGHT… The weather in March goes out like a lamb, gentle and growing.

And the light? Our hope is not just in the now, our hope is forever for Eternity. The LAMB of the Lord is Jesus, and the LAMB as our NEW LIGHT never goes out.

The Glory of the New Jerusalem is our scripture for renewal, from John writing in Revelation: But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). (Ahhhh wonderful… Read more of Revelation 21 below)

This weekend, I treated myself to flowers both for the spring and super warm temperatures on Saturday, and for the decompression of the successful driver’s test pass for my daughter, whew! Fabulous! (Another new season for our family with all drivers…)…

I saw the pansies, which can tolerate cool temps, and impulsively bought a flat, refilled my flower boxes in joy, and also gifted some to a friend for her spring birthday. And then again Sunday, after the birthday party, driving home I saw a roadside stand with opened pussywillow soft fuzzy buds for sale. So nice. Seemed appropriate to pair with the fuzzy fleece from my Sunday sermon still sitting in the car. Treated myself to another iris for transplanting too from that inexpensive roadside stand… And then at a big farm stand, I bought strawberry plants, to renew that hope in me of growth and fruitful yummy strawberries… I also got bags of soil and cleaned up the yard and picked daffodils. My favorite flower is the “Forget-me-not”, never seem to be able to grow those, well I got those too… beautiful even if the flowers are but temporary for the season and for life.

It’s that excitement and hope of the spring flowers and growing season that renews energy in me and in us. We live in cycles of seasons, and cycles of life. Some things die away, others are made new… We need to keep cycling until we get home. Meanwhile we will enjoy as gardeners working the soil on earth, watching renewal. We will enjoy as children of God, the Life He breathes into us. We know that we too will pass away but He won’t – and we have life in HIM.

Someday in Home of Heaven, ALL things will be made new. They will spring forth like we have never seen before. The city walls with the names of the apostles of the Lamb, the gates with the tribes, the peoples and nations of those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life…

Our Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, will reign in Heaven with our Lord God Almighty. Our Lamb, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, will bring in the NEW city, and God Almighty and the Lamb will BE the LIGHT.

All tears wiped away, all things made new. New life, new forever, new yet never-changing LIGHT of the LORD.

Let us hope into Forever, and keep going and keep growing now too.

Amen

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Revelation 21

All Things Made New

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

The Glory of the New Jerusalem

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

A Sermon about Gideon and to KNOW OUR GOD IN ACTION

GOOD MORNING! The beginning of March- if you can remember that far back – we roared like Lions – roared like the weather and I think it was quite the roaring March weather. Don’t you? It is now the end of March and March goes out like a lamb and? Wow – yeah!!! More peaceful and calm, and is it teaming out there with new life – like lambs being born – like beautiful spring flowers opening – like beautiful daffodils. So – instead of roaring like a LION – let us take a second to be quiet like a lamb – and maybe think thankful thoughts for spring – maybe take thankful moments to remember easter coming up. And I will pray for my message to be meaningful and part of God’s action plan.

Moment to be silent… thank you…

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I LOVE THIS INSIGHT WRITTEN IN ECCLESIATES: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

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I love SPRING – before summer gets too hot – and wow we are MOTIVATED in Spring to get moving – I got outside yesterday – planted flowers and cleaned up my yard. I had to pull some leaves out so that my daffodils could bloom less encumbered… They weren’t going to wait for me – and that is like the Lord – He works in HIS TIME… There’s scripture and great song lyric: The Lord makes things beautiful in His time.

SING: Lord, please, show me everyday — As you’re teaching me Your way —- That you do just what You say — In Your time — In your time, in your time – You makes all things BEAUTIFUL – In your time…

And today we’re going to talk about the Lord making things happen – our God of action – helping us – some would say tolerating us – when we are to respond to God’s call and maybe delaying –

and I will be sharing just a small snippet of Gideon and his calling and his answering the call, But especially about God IN ACTION…

I am appreciative of this sermon series coincidental with our mission statement – to Know God, Show Love, Grow Community

TODAY we are learning KNOW GOD – by Knowing God in Action – and I love that – ACTION!!! – both by God and by us – and when we are to be “Responding to God’s Call” – there is BOTH the need for us to “Be STILL” – and to “BE MOVING” – but most importantly remembering that God wants us to “BE HIS”…

For being STILL – we remember a previous speaking of Elijah that he had to be still and “hear” God in the stillness and in the gentle whisper of the wind.

For being MOVING – let us remember our GOD OF ACTION – remember the sermon on Isaiah where Isaiah first said: “For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips” Essentially saying “I’m not worthy” – and GOD IN ACTION – an angel touch to Isaiah’s lips in a purifying manner.

“with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

Then Isaiah felt able to respond to God’s call willingly: “Here I am , Send Me!”

And OH, what amazing prophesy that Isaiah was able to deliver to the people of the time and to us: this is an excerpt from Isaiah 40, I am SO glad that Isaiah responded to God’s call and wrote these words:

“Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.”

Yes – we our God of Action IS a Shephard.

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SO – our opportunity today is to learn about OLD TESTAMENT worker Gideon – God calling Gideon, speaking to him – This is like God speaking to us – for sure – and what strikes me is when we are able to know God enough to talk back to Him and know He tolerates that – YES to QUESTION HIM!!! yeah! – This is a perfect topic for me – and for us – for Gideon – like verifying verifying – double checking – asking for proof…

Gideon was a man who was minding his own business – and an angel of the Lord came to him while he was threshing wheat – he had to do this hidden – down in a winepress to keep quiet – afraid for the Midianites who were an issue for Gideon’s people of the day… These scriptures are from Judges 6:

¹²When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

¹³“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

¹⁴The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

¹⁵“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

¹⁶The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

¹⁷Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. ¹⁸Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”

And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.” – God had the confidence to try to convince Gideon “am I not sending you?” – meaning ‘I GOD have got this!!!’ And yet Gideon had to be sure…

WOW – CAN YOU IMAGING US MAKING GOD WAIT – OH YEAH – WE DO THAT ALL THE TIME… AND GOD WAITS!

Gideon did prepare that offering – and then FIRE flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. ²²When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”

²³But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” ²⁴So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.

SO GOD HAD GIDEON’s ATTENTION NOW… Then God forced the hand of the situation and stirred up the conflict between all the groups of the area – by having Gideon destroy the false god Baal’s altar and build one to God – and make a sacrifice on that one…

Our God of Action was setting the stage for a battle – one in which Israel would triumph by Gideon’s lead but by God’s Plan and God’s Power.

But not before Gideon QUESTIONED GOD!!! We learn this was “the ask”:

³⁶Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised — ³⁷look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew ONLY on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.”

REALLY? IS GOD A MAGICIAN? IS THIS LIKE A PENN & TELLER SHOW?

BUT REALLY: ³⁸And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew – a bowlful of water.

WOW – GOD DID IT – AND OH – YOU THINK GIDEON WAS SATISFIED?

³⁹Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” ⁴⁰That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

WOW – GOD DID IT AGAIN – I CAN make fun of this BUT I SHOULDN’T AND I WON’T – BECAUSE I TOO AM GIDEON – QUESTIONING A PLAN FOR ME – AREN’T WE ALL?

Gideon wasn’t testing God’s sovereignty or testing God’s plan. GIDEON WAS TESTING GOD’S SPECIFIC CALLING OF HIMSELF – and if he believed this prediction to come true – AND OUR GOD OF ACTION SHOWED TO BE A GOD OF WAITING – AND A GOD OF PATIENCE – AND A GOD OF PROMISE – AND A GOD OF ANSWERS – AS WELL AS A GOD OF ACTION…

Gideon was testing God’s specific calling of himself… BOTH: Is this really YOU God asking me? (Emphasis on God). And is that really You God asking Me (emphasis on ME)… SO GIDEON wanted to know: LORD DO YOU HAVE MY FRONT AND MY BACK?

Did God punish Gideon? NO – He NOT ONLY let him ask, God performed miracles – very specific miracles upon request. It wasn’t like Gideon meant to ask like asking ‘a genie in the bottle’ – can I have riches and etc. Gideon didn’t even ask like Solomon would – for wisdom. Gideon actually asked “if it is really YOU, Lord…?” AND “Is it really me???????????”

YES, GIDEON IT IS YOU.

Gideon kept asking God many times to prove this was THE CALL… that the plan was TRULY from God – and if it would succeed – remember Gideon said ‘hey Lord – You didn’t help on ON TIMELINE”… HMMM…

Later we will see that Gideon DID answer the call after all. But in all this questioning, God kept RINGING – and then God kept the line warm until Gideon came back and said “Yes Lord”. God was like “can you hear Me now? Can you hear Me now?”

AND we don’t have time to read all thru the battle plan today but I urge you to sit sometime this week with this judges scripture – AND SEE THE ACTIONS THAT GOD TOOK – HE Wanted Gideon to fight with such a low number of soldiers – YEAH – Because the Lord wants it to be known that it is HIM Who made the victory.

Gideon was like modern day us – checking the Caller ID before picking up the phone. And he didn’t just look at the area code because you know those cellphone spammers – using our own area codes, Gideon would be like someone who would pick up the phone and say: IF that really IS You, Lord, Can you give me proof? You know that advice that we should ask for a code word, so we verify that we don’t get scammed.

Gideon wanted proof. Gideon wanted his version of code words – miracles that no one else would know about – remember he was hidden in the threshing floor – this conversation was just between him and God – and God certainly allowed this line of questioning because God really DID want Gideon in this plan – HIS PLAN… GOD PICKED HIM – God picks US TOO… and waits for our answer.

— A side story – my daughter successfully took her driver’s test yesterday – and we were watching her (after a successful parallel park) go up to the light for the road portion – and immediately wondered if she was going to take the right on red – this is by the mall…. WELL, she said later that she wondered the same thing – she knew she COULD take the right on red – and she asked the driving official – she felt comfortable enough to ask! – And it is a common conversation we all have – “can I take this right on red?” – well the driving official said “I can’t answer that question.” Hmmm… well, she waited and that is safest of course – and isn’t that like US asking God as a friend “can I do this? Should I do this? Can You wait here until I am ready?” and instead of God saying “I can’t answer that” – God may wait with you in the silence until the answer – or God may give you signs, like He did for Gideon…

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It was convenient for Gideon to pick up fleece, a common sense object of the day that certainly held water, if you have ever washed a wool sweater. Yeah

Here is a fleece – and I have a beautiful memory of my son loving this as a youngster in a reading nook of his room – it holds a lot of water when wet!

I know it is NOT a coincidence with easter coming up that we think of our March going out like a LAMB – and we know Jesus as a LAMB on the move.

Isaiah gave us prophecy – AND WE NOW KNOW THIS OF JESUS – THAT GOD IS A GOD OF ACTION.

Remember the Isaiah 53:6-7 scripture. All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him (JESUS) the iniquity of us all. – He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.

Jesus was silent action as that lamb that day and He continues to be a God of VOCAL and PHYSICAL Action for THE DISCIPLES AND for US: Like Doubting Thomas, Jesus showed Himself… JESUS then said to the apostles to wait until the advocate comes – at pentacost – WAIT FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT…

WE SIMPLY ARE TOLD TO TRUST AND TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME.

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QUESTION: SO, are we like Gideon and have to HEAR, SEE God in Action ? – and we can take this reminder that it is OK to say: “what’s the plan today Lord?” – what is the plan here? and the Lord waits for us to figure it out and often he does send a signs…

Remember, “THE SPIRIT” CAME UPON GIDEON – remember that the Holy Spirit comes and re-energizes the situation for us – we can ask for a fresh filling of Holy Spirit – this is not like gold dust that wears off but a filling of Jesus HIMSELF – a comforting – an understanding – and a DRIVE…

Deborah, my name sake, was a Judge in the scriptures before Gideon, she was all about telling people that God’s victory is already won. Deborah said: “Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” We need to believe that…

We don’t think that our actions are as monumental as Gideon’s for a big battle – but they are for us and for the Lord… Each step we take with the Lord, for the Lord, is part of His victory. Because at the bare minimum, IT GIVES US THE CONFIDENCE TO TRY to live each day in His Love.

I want to close with a great Lauren Daigle song speaking of the Lord with us :

I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough

Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up

Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low

Remind me once again just who I am because I need to know

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You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing

You say I am strong when I think I am weak

And you say I am held when I am falling short

And when I don’t belong, oh You say I am Yours

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And I believe – Oh, I believe – What You say of me – I believe

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Please pray with me: Lord, May we hear YOUR Call – see YOUR Actions – and take our part in YOUR Work. We know Lord that the best first place to start is to LOVE YOU – and know YOU LOVE US. We know Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is YOUR PURPOSE, the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Thank YOU, Lord, for standing by us, waiting on us, and strengthening us.

Amen

An Appetite for the Supper with the Lamb, Revelation 19

Recently I decided it was silly not to purchase more bowls and little plates and silverware that I found that matches my main set – sure I have yardsale forks that I got for a quarter but we in our house have a fondness for “our real forks” – lightweight and good – and less fumbling thru the drawer around cheapo ones that I usually take to work… Plus I got 2 more ice tea spoons in my pattern – LONG STORY – but those are just awesome to use… Well, it was a little splurge I decided to go for – and easy to get them (even though they are now “vintage”) through some online selling – really easy – and I negotiated the price and shipping too. So, I’ve added 12 forks to my collection and 2 cool ice tea spoons. The bowls? Well they disappear everywhere, not to mention ones (RARE) that broke – yes I managed to break some… These bowls are so useful, just the right size and yeah… I negotiated and paid $3 each – cheaper than when I originally got them probably at the outlet itself, ummm over 30 years ago. Silverware was probably more expensive than the outlet I was at, but like I said now it is “vintage” geez… I don’t REALLY need these things for any supper sit down – I don’t try to match usually – but occasionally it is nice to sit down to a nice Easter meal with everything attempted matching – just nice – and whom are we – yeah whom am I to be so human – but I am. I really am… I am human and picky and yeah – and we may try to blame our modern society but we also buy into that human-worldly visual lifestyle as well, our comfort zones of stuff and yeah… There is one fringe benefit of our humanness however, it is that we have a Lord who understands and Who forgives humanness – and Jesus said there is nothing that tempts us more that He will allow – yes Jesus understands and even better, One Who brings us one day to HIS SUPPER!

Nothing whets my appetite for HIS SUPPER than reading the book of Revelation and knowing that there is an end to the chaos and madness of the world we see and have yet to experience (whew!). Jesus will set all into place – a place for Him to be King – and place settings set for Him and for us, for the “Supper of the Lamb”, because Jesus and His Holy Bride (that’s us as the church) will be sitting down to dinner, yeah… I won’t care what kind of place setting I have then – I won’t be looking at the food even if I were looking at Jesus. So, in making myself unworldly now, it would be best to follow Jesus’s Breadcrumb trail and snack slowly on it – not devouring a whole handful – but take it in like popcorn, one kernel at a time.

Jesus, Our Daily Bread… and MORE…

King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus, His Supper, we will explore.

Someday when we walk through HIS DOOR…

Someday we implore…

And we will hear the angels ROAR:

“Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Amen

“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”

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Revelation 19 excerpts NKJV

Heaven Exults over Babylon

After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Christ on a White Horse

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

JESUS the Lamb Overcomes, Revelation 17-18

If there is ONE thing to understand in the intricate complex Book of Revelation, it is the same TRUTH from the whole bible and all of life’s twists and turns: THE LAMB OVERCOMES. GOD’S GOT THIS.

JESUS IS THE LAMB, THE “LORD OF LORDS AND KING OF KINGS”

“…and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

You think we live an intricate complex life? Well we DO, and yet so how much MORE COMPLEX is ALL of time, all of life, all of evil twisted plots, people, pawns… How much MORE is God to be God and we are not. FOR HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN OUR WAYS.

If the book of Revelation states these grandeur complex stories of all of time portrayed in complex representations, remember simply that: THE LAMB OVERCOMES.

When other people marvel at “the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” Remember that JESUS IS LORD. JESUS OVERCAME AND OVERCOMES.

John, writing the prophecies of Revelation, was carried away in the Spirit to see this, so that we know the Truth: GOD’S GOT THIS…

Our walking through the Lamb’s mentions in the bible reminds us of Jesus’s Sovereignty from before time began, He was and is and is to come. Let us let Jesus handle our life TODAY.

Amen

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Revelation 17, 18:1-8 NKJV

The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written:

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast

But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

The Fall of Babylon the Great

After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”

And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

The Song of the Lamb OVERCOMES, Revelation 15

Of the unknowns of our future, there is this major KNOWN: We WILL be SINGING in Heaven. We will hear SINGING, we will know who is SINGING, and we will add to the SINGING. AND we will all know WHOM we are singing about and for.

We sing the song of the Lamb who OVERCOMES! “Sweet Victory in Jesus” – is a hymn that fills my head whenever I see a great craft display on my windowsill that says VICTORY in Jesus – of the displacement of the tomb with the victory of Easter. “O GLORIOUS VICTORY, THAT OVERCOMES THE WORLD.”

There will be trials in our future, and in the greatest of hard times, yet the book of Revelation states there will be people who have to endure more punishment surely than we endure right now, these people to be martyrs for their faith in Jesus. And they also will be singing in Heaven, singing of Jesus overcoming: “they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”

The Song of the Lamb, sung with thankfulness surely, will be great and marvellous… and the singing will surely be of admiration of victory – both over sin and death and in anticipation of final victory over evil.

God’s strength in people overcomes the worst of times. And there should be some serious singing in serious healthy fear of the wrath of God. . God’s wrath overcomes the worst in evil. God’s wrath is not to be ignored. I believe that we can overcome fear with singing, we can celebrate JOY with song too.

What an interesting balance of life.

Just and true are God’s ways. To fear God in a healthy way is to give Him the credit for His Sovereignty over all. And us? We should be assured that we will be singing when all is come and done and begun again.

Amen

—

Revelation 15 KJV

And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Communion with the Lamb

“A family that pray together stays together” – that is a great saying – my family spread to both east and west coasts early on – and honestly any of us with ancestors who came on the boats in the great immigration era should remember those people endured leaving family that they never saw again – letters were sent and sometimes packages in my family – but no plane ride home to visit – all my great grandparents would have left home in the same ages of my kids now at 20 something – that is just the way it was…

I remember my Dad today with finding a newspaper clipping about his 1st communion and other articles, like with scouting. I remember many blessings growing up like family trips and family stories – remembering this morning while giving my cat water of when my Dad who vowed that he hated cats said to my mom: “we need to get cat food – there is a stray in the garage” – and wouldn’t you know it? we became cat people – as the stray was pregnant and had her kittens under my bed – on a green velvety blanket that was my grandmothers. We gave all of them away except one who became my cat.

Spreading the love and taking care of others – that was my Dad – taking care of your fellow man – and realizing to be appreciative for everything you have – and treating them fairly – and all this good advice that still fills my brain and my heart. I had over 50 years with my Dad before he passed few years ago. I remember his stories (and to make sure I have good brakes for the car)… I recently found during family history searching, newspaper articles about our family. I found the great scouting article where my family spoke of their many sons in scouting and how good it was. I found a letter to the editor about my Dad as a persistent newspaper carrier, telling folks they needed to buy a subscription – VERY CONVINCING – I also found what we discovered years later that he was a hero for saving a boy who broke away from his troop and fell at a scout camp in the rugged terrain. We also found good articles of the dedication of my grandmother as a den mother.. cool…

A family which prays together – and plays together – and all that – well I found an article from the parochial school of my father’s first communion – a family which worships God together… It is comforting to me that it was my grandparents who instilled faith and instruction into my dad and his siblings – by enrolling them in parochial school. Even if my father railed against the hypocrisy in the catholic church and the unfortunate but totally human going-wrongs of the day, I am encouraged that the Lord’s teachings still got instilled in that generation – including first communion. My faith is that faith was instilled early and demonstrated weekly and daily and moment to moment by my Grandmother.

I remember my Dad taking great concern for visiting my Grandmother in the nursing home every day – yes every day – sometimes in the morning before work – sometimes at lunch – sometimes after work. I trust that my grandmother, is in Heaven by the Love of Jesus. My Grandmother, whom I never heard complain ever, even with a noisy roommate and with many aches and pains of leg amputation from diabetes and cancer from mesothelioma,. And I remember my Dad talking about his father – about the generosity of helping others – about the chickens they bought and then had eggs more than they could handle and beng directed to go give them to all the neighbors – that my grandfather would have directed them to take their wagon and go door to door not to sell but to give away… Yeah – family who takes care of others…

I thank the Lord for these memories and my family. I am grateful for these newspaper articles for new memories.

My connection to a lamb scripture today – is that the Lord told the families in the first “Passover” – to share between neighbors – to make sure there is enough but not too much – to take care of their households and of each other. I would know that my family was trained to take care of each other by the generosity of the Lord – the Lamb gives of Himself – and no one is to waste it – like the Lord’s Word which comes to earth and never returns void – always shared to do His Work.

May we always be remembering good memories – and may we always be thankful to the Lord for all our life experiences good and bad – and the perseverance the Lord has enabled in us to survive and yes to thrive… Amen

Thanks Lord for my Dad and family… Thank You, Lord, for You!

Amen and amen…

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. Exodus 12:1-3

In the Presence of the Lamb, Revelation 14

I LOVE doing family history work – and yet it is not simply to learn of older things – it is to connect my current cousins together and we remember us as family. Cousins are like brothers and sisters whom you don’t fight with. Cousins are fun.

I recently got back from my uncle’s funeral and we did have such an enjoyable time reconnecting. – and we looked at family trees (as I am updating now) – and we like to see that we are all included – and our spouses and our kids and the spelling of our names – etc etc… We want to be remembered and to remember. I was looking back at funeral photos – and seeing our cousins together and loving each other. Even cousins who never met – already have the love. (I loved seeing my kids meeting their cousins for the first time – of the same age.) Yes, we have so much to learn from each other including that we HAVE each other!!!

Well, isn’t it a blessing that the LORD KNOWS OUR NAMES AND OUR LIVES AND OUR FAILINGS AND STILL FORGIVES US.

Here is the Lamb scripture of the day – we see in the book of Revelation that the many in Heaven are known – and that the Lamb gives so many opportunities to get His Word out there. We work at it – being known like with our cousins – and the Lord? WELL, THE LORD HAS THE CATCH ALL PLAN: John saw: “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

YES! EVERY NATION EVERY TRIBE EVERY TONGUE EVERY PEOPLE.. THe Lord won’t forget anyone – everyone will have the chance to hear. These “saints becoming” as a friend always says, will include those who need to hear the gospel and then have to live in bad times with the beast abounding – there will be people martyred for their faith – and this is going to require people who stand strong for the Lord: Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

May we now stand in the knowledge of this and in our own knowledge of faith and not take it for granted. And may we regard people of faith “Cousins in Christ” – our brothers and sisters whom we don’t fight with – may we learn their names and meet them – may we love them even if we never will meet them until up in Heaven…

I don’t know about you – but I am going to be busy the rest of my life AND eternity talking to all my cousins in christ… (Can’t wait but no rush)…

Lord come quickly and send that angel to proclaim your Word. In the meantime – let us help share the love.

Amen

—-

Revelation 14 NKJV

The Lamb and the 144,000

Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The Proclamations of Three Angels

Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

Reaping the Earth’s Harvest

Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Reaping the Grapes of Wrath

Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.” So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.

Rest in Jesus, Who Calms the Storms, the Lamb Slain, Revelation 13, Mark 4, Isaiah 53

A tiny poem:

Whatever you do, don’t worship the beast, not even a little, not even in jest.

Don’t let the devil nip at you, don’t let him disturb you in your rest. (IN JESUS).

And that’s true, isn’t it? We tend to joke around. We have a tendency to jest about ourselves as being bad. We both forget God’s mercies and we think “I’m not worthy” – Well, God says you ARE WORTHY to be saved – that is why Jesus is the Lamb Slain from the Creation of the World. Let us not let the evil one confuse us. We are worthy because of Jesus.

If we stand strong in our faith and demonstrate faithfulness – then perhaps others will see HOW important faith is – for them to take it seriously too. SO don’t play with fire, don’t jest with the joker, and don’t give the devil anything to latch on to. Jesus wants us 100% reliant upon Him, and not fear evil – even unto death.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” That’s what Jesus said as he calmed the storms…

Isaiah foretold that we would have trouble in this world. “This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.” – because the Lamb was slain from the creation of the world BEFORE it all went down. And Jesus Came so we will rise up again. Just like waves of the water. Don’t let the Devil rock your boat in between. Rest with Jesus. Rest IN Jesus. Rest because of Jesus.

Remember the Isaiah 53 scripture: “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. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.“

Amen

Rest in Jesus, our Lamb. Keep living LIFE in His Peace.

Amen

Mark 4:35-41 NIV Jesus Calms the Storm
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

—

Revelation 13 NIV The Beast out of the Sea

The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

Whoever has ears, let them hear. “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

I Remember, I Remember, By the Blood of the Lamb, Revelation 12 (and Lauren Daigle)

“I Remember, I Remember, You have always been faithful to me.” that’s what Lauren Daigle sings, and was in my head as I woke up. It’s really good to listen to praise music because I really believe it tramples down the negative thoughts. And the recall of music is a God-given gift. Singing PRAISE reminds us of His Faithfulness.

Faithfulness is remembering Jesus remembers us. God set a whole process in play from before time. Satan knew he had/has “limited time” and nips at our heels all the time here on earth. “He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” He causes chaos to followers of Jesus, yet we are to remember the ultimate Sovereignty of God, remember His Faithfulness to defeat Satan forever. Already we have the blood of the Lamb covering us and forgiving us. WE KNOW THIS, WE SHOULD SING OF THIS! “You were there, always there, with me…”

Here is a short poem:

That dragon, satan, was downward hurled as the Wrath of the Lamb has been unfurled. Our testimony should be fresh not canned, that we TRIUMPH by the BLOOD of the LAMB

What a blessing we will sing in Heaven forever. Let us sing now, so not of old condemnation but of mercies fresh each morning…

I REMEMBER I REMEMBER!

Amen!!!

—

“I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER, YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FAITHFUL TO ME. ” Lauren Daigle

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=GLkcuRs6neE&si=BlUacRaTNGNpa46G

LYRICS:

In the darkest hour, when I cannot breathe

Fear is on my chest, the weight of the world on me

Everything is crashing down, everything I had known

When I wonder if I’m all alone

I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER

You have always been faithful to me

I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER

Even when my own eyes could not see

You were there, always there

I will lift my eyes even in the pain

Above all the lies, I know You can make a way

I have seen giants fall, I have seen mountains move

I have seen waters part because of You

I remember I remember

You have always been faithful to me

I remember I remember

Even when my own eyes could not see

You were there, always there

I can’t stop thinking about

Your goodness, goodness

. (repeat)

I can’t stop thinking about

Your goodness, goodness

I remember, I remember

You have always been faithful to me

I remember I remember

Even when my own eyes could not see

You were there, always there, with me

—-

Revelation 12 NIV

The Woman and the Dragon

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus

The Lamb Opens the Future: Scrolls and Seals, Revelation

The Lamb gets things going, we are talking about Jesus OF COURSE,

beginning of the end, from Revelation trumpeting angels to riders on each HORSE.

Jesus present from the beginning of TIME,

will also help start the earth and heavens UNWIND.

Seals to be open, scrolls to be READ,

angels and trumpets resounding, and bowls poured with DREAD.

God does not want anyone to perish, but live INSTEAD,

we know that now and will witness this surely AHEAD.

Revelation scriptures note sections of time we might fear and DREAD,

because it means God is going to judge the LIVING and the DEAD.

Don’t follow evil or worship anything else behind or AHEAD,

Read up and know JESUS SAVES all who choose Him INSTEAD.

THE LAMB SURELY HAS CONQUERED,

OUR FUTURE HE ALREADY SECURED.

Amen to PRAISES,

Jesus is our Lord and Savior who RAISES.

AMEN

Revelation 6 – New King James Version

First Seal: The Conqueror

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Second Seal: Conflict on Earth

When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

Third Seal: Scarcity on Earth

When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

Fourth Seal: Widespread Death on Earth

When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

—

Revelation 8

Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets

When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.

Continue here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%208-11&version=NIV;NKJV

Stay Close to the Lamb, Jesus. Revelation 7 Isaiah 49 Jeremiah 7 Psalm 1

The scripture emailed to me, Jeremiah 17:7-8, this morning is so true: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

We have anxious times and we are told to stay close to Jesus – what does this mean? to ask Him direction, to know He is in charge, to know things get better even if they get worse first, to know simply to TRUST. Put our roots in His Word in His Living Water – meditate on Him as it states in Psalm 1. We are to know that there are others even more in danger physically and politically by worshiping openly – we can’t even imagine their lack of freedom of religious expression. There are known examples of people who trust the Lord – we see them around us – and there are those who worship in secret trusting the Lord for the long term – and we should know there are multitudes that will be and are saved by the Lamb, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world – Jesus. These multitudes are mentioned in the book of Revelation 7:9-17, multitudes that no one could count – who are also mentioned in the prophecy of Isaiah – the many many people who plant themselves like Psalm 1 trees into the Word and TRUST in Jesus won’t wither and die but be reborn in new life. ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’

Let us STAY CLOSE TO THE LAMB. Let us not wither in the trials of this life but keep moving WITH Jesus. Never alone, always remembering Him on the throne. Keep close and we will OK: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jer 17:7-8

KEEP THE FAITH – FAITH IS BELIEVING IN GOD AND HIS ALMIGHTY POWER.

WORTHY IS THE LAMB. STAY CLOSE TO THE LAMB.

AMEN

—-

Revelation 7:9-17

The Great Multitude in White Robes
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ – ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Psalm 1 NIV

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Isaiah 49:8-9 Restoration of Israel

This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’

Take IN Daily Bread, Revelation 19

I made it just in time, our favorite takeout Asian food, 930pm plus 2 minutes… I called ahead and they know me, they must have a lot of return customers, remembering order preferences, but closed is closed if you are too late. They were calling me as I walked thru the door. I made it… something for my kid, miso soup for me…. mmmmm…. good…

Here’s an amazing “lamb” scripture – not the food but the Savior, Revelation 19. It does relate to food however – TAKE IN food – not TAKE OUT – because we are going to be IN Heaven and the food there is going to be unimaginably good – healing – nourishing – tasty – I have no idea – and yet I am sure that there would be no need to get “take out” from any other place. No place could be better than heaven? Right? Jesus is our groom to us as the Bride of His Church. The feast is the wedding supper of the Lamb.

Supper’s best is Jesus’s ready offering for us to sit down with Him as His Bride. Can you even imagine looking at food when you are looking instead at our Lord Savior? WOW. Jesus is our best revelation in our life, and we can keep hope with Him as our friend and forever companion.

Revelation 19, revealed to apostle John, “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” Please read about this amazing event:

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Revelation 19:6-9 NIV

I can’t imagine any better food being fulfilling than our “Take in” Daily Bread of Jesus now – but in the meantime before we become face to face with our Lord, let us hunger upon HIS hope and HIS peace – and TAKE IN all the goodness He offers.

Amen

—

FYI The Song of “Supper’s Ready” is not just a great Genesis song from way back, 23 minutes of a song, it talks of scenes imagined from the book of Revelation. I listen to it not as the Word, but as the reassurance that our Lord is in control!

The Supper’s Ready by Genesis https://youtu.be/9hKYpNpajpI?si=za67vceiDSXRfX9d

Worthy is the Lamb, Revelation 5

In the theme of Lambs for this month’s writing “March goes out like a lamb” – we find many scriptures of both the gentleness of lambs and the fierce strength of the perfect Lamb, Jesus.

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain”… “who conquered the grave.” are praise song lyrics that ring TRUE. This is the Easter season and we are to remember that Jesus conquered the Grave and negated Sin and defeated Death – and Jesus is found worthy to finish all the rest of prophecy in the book of Revelation. Here is where Jesus is seen by apostle John in a transported state to a heavenly place – Jesus stood worthy as the Lamb.

“in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain” – Yes Jesus died but rose – the Lamb was slain but standing – and worthy to start the cascade of the remaining steps – with the breaking of the seals – and to complete the work that will then bring about the arrival of the New Jerusalem.

We are not to worry about today, let alone tomorrow or forever. We have been told of the future and that Jesus is worthy of our praise because He came and will come again. And through the Holy Spirit, we can trust God is ever present and Jesus, the Lamb Slain, has been found worthy from before time began – and will be found worthy forever more.

What will we do in Heaven? We will be in Awe – and we will Praise – “Worthy is the Lamb”… “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

Amen

—

Revelation 5 (NKJV) – recorded by John the Apostle

The Lamb Takes the Scroll

And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it.

So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”

And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

Worthy Is the Lamb

Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals;

For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

And have made us kings and priests to our God;

And we shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

Be to Him who sits on the throne,

And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

Better than a Pot of Gold, the NEW JERUSALEM and Bride of the Lamb, Revelation 21

Oh the smiles at work yesterday, St Patrick’s Day awesome. We hid tiny resin gnome leprechauns all around the building for finding, sharing… People did pursue them. We had a fair number of people wearing green too. We still got our work done, don’t worry. I helped hide them and take pics, people expect that of me so I embrace the days of fun. I love the people. My family raised me that way, it’s ingrained and encouraged. Also doing one’s day job is so important, we do good stuff at work.

I saw a newspaper article interview with my dad, he said: “I enjoy working with people, I enjoy living and I enjoy helping others. I’ll never understand people who ask me what the payoff is, as though they’re expecting me to point to a large bank account. What I do has nothing at all with a personal return other then a deep sense of satisfaction out of knowing I helped someone somewhere.” (AMEN TO THIS!)

So in our spiritual lives, shouldn’t we also continue to be an encourager as well? There’s no leprechaun’s pot of gold in heaven, there’s going to be something so much better! The NEW JERUSALEM!!! AND “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb” are there.

I encourage us all to read and reread Revelation 21 for hope to go thru the days that aren’t so golden and those which are – and wow appreciate not just the opulence in the heavens coming to us, but be in awe of God with us – REALLY RESTORED with us. And Jesus the Lamb will be with us all, as the Bride of the Lamb. “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”

For our Lamb portion of March Weather, the warmth yesterday and calm after the storms was palatable. The spring coming is palatable. So how about the future we have? We need to find Jesus finding us. He will never let us go, but life is best when we look directly at Him. We need to accept the new life Jesus offers as forgiveness, grace, mercy, hope, rest, life. This is worth more than a pot of gold – this is everything.

The Lamb’s Book of Life holds our names, our Shepherd wants us with HIM.

Amen and thank You to the Lamb Jesus !!!

—-

Revelation 21:9-27 NIV

The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Behold the Lamb of God Rising Above the Storm

The roar of the storms passed us – actually we flew ABOVE them yesterday – what a way to pass a storm by rising ABOVE it. Really for us it was just the wind and not like the tornados of the south – God bless those people. Let us pray the fierceness of the LIONS of March were going out in a storm… And let us pray the Lamb of gentleness to remain – weatherwise and comfort-wise.

John the Baptist (recorded in the apostle John’s gospel) recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God – even though He had not known Him to recognize Him by sight. Therefore the Holy Spirit – the same that made John leap in His mother’s womb – leapt in Him as this was prophesy moving into motion. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Remember Jesus chose to follow this storm system of living in a fierce world that was not ready for Him – not recognizing Him – and loving the people all the same. Jesus could would and did RISE ABOVE THE STORM.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

So, let us remember (also on this St Patrick’s Day) – a prayer attributed to the Irish but universal to us all: Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”

And let us remember the LAMB OF GOD has come to give us PEACE.

BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD, JESUS.

AMEN

John 1 – King James Version

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John [the Baptist]. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias [Isaiah]. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus

Travel Transitions Truly

Travel Transfer Transit Transitions Transient Transportation Truth

I’ll take TRUTH for 100, Alex…

It’s not any “Jeopardy” game when you fly, it’s fun and engaging if you choose this path. You just need to wait sometimes, haul it faster sometimes, relax and go all at the same time. I don’t mind flying, turbulence is not fun, but cars can have bumpy rides too. The truth is that the Lord never changes, but surely transportation does!

Riding the friendly skies home today, I started eating an extra piece of candy from “The Candyman” tucked in my pocket. An Almond Joy. This is a good travel memory of someone making a difference, JOY, making a party bus out of the Enterprise shuttle van, encouraging us to take selfies and sing along to pop tunes, so fun in a normally mundane job… Silly Silly Silly people, like the Candyman, make the bumps in the road much more fun. I tipped him girl scout cookies, the cooky mom meets candy man. And we transitioned easily from the transfer back of our rental car to airport terminal. Convenient Calm Cool… Candy…

This is where I wonder why a terminal (like a station) is called a terminal, because it’s not an end but current life runs through it. Busy busy busy waiting is so comfortable these days with electricity everywhere and comfy chairs, restaurants food and of course moms smuggle in snacks – NOT for the kids, they are ADVENTURE ADULTS, what a joy to see them self-sufficient. “Mom Win”…

I appreciated taking this trip and the flying high sky is yet another movement in the history of transportation – for which the Henry Ford museum was a great travel stop yesterday afternoon. Worth the money even just 2 hours, saw A LOT! We “flew” through the exhibition… trains, planes, cars, carts, cool…

I appreciated the Kennedy car, the McDonald’s and Holiday Inn neon signs, the Lincoln chair, and especially the Rosa Park’s bus, we sat in the bus, wow… great museum… love the trains, so in my blood…

The truth of counting one’s blessings includes remembering that this life is but a short stop, not terminal as in our terminal end, even in death we WILL TRANSITION in a TRANSPORT by the Lord. We will TRANSFER if we TRUST in the TRUTH. LIFE IS TRANSIENT, LIVE IT IN TRUTH.

(And just now TOUCHDOWN, we landed from our flight. It’s good to be home earth, a TEMPORARY home for now… TRUTH).

AMEN and THANK YOU LORD for the ADVENTURE.

https://www.thehenryford.org/visit/henry-ford-museum

A Lion’s Roar of Loyalty and the Lamb’s Save for Eternity, My Uncle’s Memorial

God is Nigh, which means God is close, that’s all I know of Taps, which is good to resonate in my head from the hauntingly beautiful bugle serenade of my uncle’s memorial service yesterday, a beautifully warm day in March. We stood briefly as time was still but not, overlooking the pond, with a military gun salute so beautiful in appreciation of service to country.

The day, as the night before, was filled with family and love. My uncle was a man of faith as well as full of love for his family, many grateful folks spoke of his gentle nature and being truly the one going down “the road less travelled” – quoted on his cremation box – his favorite Robert Frost poem, whom he met, and had autograph a copy of one poetry book.

The Detroit Lions memorabilia was sweet, my uncle appreciated his teams, his fun, his life… My uncle was full of life. God does that, He makes us energetic and appreciative.

The Lion of the Lord then ROARS and calls His cubs of children HOME. The Lamb of the Lord, Jesus, leads His little dutiful sheep, secures them as their Shepherd, and carries them Home. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Lion and the Lamb. Jesus is our Lord and Master, Friend and Savior, Helper and Healer, and Heavenly Hope.

Thank You Lord for Your Lion’s Roar of Loyalty and Your Lamb’s Save for Eternity.

Amen

(And Uncle Joe, say Hi to Jesus, to my Dad and our family and everyone for us. We will meet you again in the end, and new beginning… amen)

By Faith, We Fly. “Have Faith and Live It Too.”

By Faith, people do LOTS of things and BY FAITH we easily flew yesterday, both in the plane, train, bus and automobile AND flew through time. It was 40 years ago that I was last in Michigan, but years melt like hugs for cousins (I am youngest of 23, now we have next generation of my kids and so forth into the future).

Yes. It’s SO good to have come to my uncle’s memorial service long weekend in Michigan, and so good to simply click click click feel the ease of modern travel with old-fashioned friendly skies. So good to see my kids overtake with their traveller’s smarts too, experienced at flying. This is experience that’s not too much expense. My advantage that I take it all in stride, including talking my way into easier situations… It’s The Friendly Skies we fly.

Well, BLESSED as we gathered last night at the hotel for pizza reception travelling cousins from 5 plus states, before today’s military service at the cemetery (we are north of Detroit). Saw 2 remaining aunt’s, who with my mom (arriving this morning) are the 3 remaining spouses of the 6 brothers, my uncle being the last one to pass.

BLESSED to fly over God’s Fingerlakes too! And oh the ice on the great lake Erie was gorgeous. BLESSED to see ithaca in the distance, see the NYC skyline and Statue of Liberty from our Newark flight. We easily took the train to the plane and shuttle and rental car… by faith it all worked out. My great grandparents steamed across the ocean from Ireland and saw lady liberty, wow what would they say, seeing their next and next generations now… WOW. By faith they forged ahead, let us not forget.

BLESSED, while waiting at out gate, to see the little birds drink from the water fountain in the airport. Yeah, they got in somehow, so at least they have something to wash down their french fries. God provides. And if He takes care of the birds, how much more He cares for us…. yeah…. by Faith we know that this is TRUE.

The March Lion of Scripture is that Faith in Action shuts the mouth of Lions, as said the writer of Hebrews, likely Paul, recounting the faith of those who came before Jesus and trusted God. The people of the Scripture stories had SO MUCH FAITH, and yet never say Jesus in the flesh to finish the prophesies, but they had faith. We are encouraged to have faith, not just for adventures, it’s faith in life everlasting and life everyday and especially in God’s Sovereignty. We can “have Faith and live it too!!!”

Scripture says faithful people gained what was promised – shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword – their weakness was turned to strength !!! I’m SO THANKFUL for the Lord God Almighty to coordinate life and living it.

Let us trust Faith in Action and take action in faith. Let us live the BOLD lives God gave us to live. LET US TRUST IN HIM!

AMEN

—

Faith in Action Hebrews 11

Faith in Action

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Surviving the Lion’s Den

I ventured out to the park in the sunshine for I felt like I was emerging from a winter hibernation, even though I have not been hibernating. Felt like a long winter (it wasn’t) and a long week too, even if it was only Wednesday. The park meant SPRING and I could use some SPRING IN MY STEP returning. I appreciated some of the beautiful first flowers of spring – not looking delicate like snowdrops, but these were precious and hearty and BOLD yellow treasures low to the ground. (bold, new, and not eaten either, but enduring)

Emerging in SPRING is like SURVIVAL with new and renewed life. Emerging from a Lion’s Den of danger or gloom, harshness or harm, such the classic of the Lord’s pattern for us all. Life after Death. Maybe not a dying death at all with His protection. Classic Jesus jumping in front of the lion for us. SAVED.

Classic Jesus is also allowing us to be bold in witness about life in the midst of trouble. And WOW – I just read an online article that led with “Sharing Jesus in the Lion’s Den” – when I know that I have been writing this whole first half of March about lions mentioned in the bible… Wow, it’s about a brave witness to Jesus who ventures to the middle of the tense protests demonstrating about the middle east war, blockades and forever bad situations. It’s a sad strife of this life we have seen years upon years. This person stepped into the Lion’s fight not just the den. BRAVE.

The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

I know it’s not normal to be so BRAVE, but Jesus is not normal but extraordinary and Jesus is fully powerful God, and His Righteousness and Strength combined with His Compassion and Love, give us the ability to emerge dangers, to Shine Boldly, and to Love in a merciful way. Daniel is our example to keep faith. Daniel worshipping the Lord in a public way even when forbidden escaped the punishment and told of the Lord’s provisions.

Worship Forbidden? If we are allowed to worship, let us remember those who couldn’t and those who still experience opposition, and pray them Daniel’s commitment and Jesus’s Presence and Protection.

Let us therefore be BOLD like the image of SPRING FLOWERS in the waning Lion of Winter and LET US SHINE, let us EMERGE and even enter new Lions’ Dens of tough activities, knowing Jesus takes us only where He is willing to go.

And Jesus IS EVERYWHERE.

Amen

—

Daniel chapter 6 in the Den of Lions

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” So King Darius put the decree in writing.

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”

Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Then King Darius wrote to all the nations and peoples of every language in all the earth: “May you prosper greatly!

“I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel.

“For he is the living God

and he endures forever;

his kingdom will not be destroyed,

his dominion will never end.

He rescues and he saves;

he performs signs and wonders

in the heavens and on the earth.

He has rescued Daniel

from the power of the lions.”

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

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Article about sharing faith:

https://calvarychapelmagazine.org/articles/sharing-jesus-lions-den?utm_source=Calvary+Chapel+Magazine+Updates&utm_campaign=42

A Cat’s Bite, A LION’S ROAR

I believe in the Lord and in His amazing mighty way and His total everything, especially when my cat bites me to wake up, stop dreaming unproductively, and for me to say Hey, I’m up Lord, I’m Yours.

Ouch, it’s not a break the skin bite but it meant business. The cat (of course a mini-lion in her mind) wants action on my part, well not necessarily the cat, I believe that angels direct my cat. I’m not crazy just faithful in paying attention to her paying attention to a power bigger than a bite.

I believe that all creatures and creations are made by the Lord and He uses them for His goodness, wonderful power, and His pursuit of us. It’s not nature vs nurture, it’s nurture of God over all including the amazing natural and even worldly world which is like dust to the Lord, useable and beautiful dust in transition.

I believe in the Lion’s Roar and the Lord’s Mightiness and control and if He wants a lion to eat you, well yeah… I’ll take a cat bite any day listening to the Lord rather than being eaten by a Lion. 1Kings20:35-36 By the word of the Lord one of the company of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me with your weapon,” but he refused. So the prophet said, “Because you have not obeyed the Lord, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.

OUCH – that’s worse…

So let’s get up to God’s Will for us today. With Him in Control – we can step wisely and while listening. Don’t take it for granted that the Lord is there but He will be there either way. And let us remember to trust Him, hope in Him, and obey Him.

Therefore let us listen for the Lord – His Word is louder and sharper than the Roar of any lion or the Bite of any cat…

Amen

The Lion, the Lamb, the Peace

Recently – I saw a scene – and it was a moment that I could not hear what was going on but I knew the scene – I knew the frustration – a little boy (it seems) was well behind another sibling and perhaps their mom who was leaving – and the boy was protesting and crouched to the ground and frustrated and well, I have imagined this into the scene because we have all been there – at least I have – and the stubbornness of a tirade or the frustration of not being understood – or the temper tantrum induced “I give up” that the mom felt and acted upon… They were leaving and perhaps nothing was resolved – perhaps in the car the conversation was important about consequences – at least this is how I saw it in my long-view – of the little boy on the sidewalk… And maybe I am envisioning the mom’s frustration too much but I have been there… Maybe she was showing tough love and they left the event – which is frustrating in itself… Ah yeah, been there, done that – things are better now – those times with little ones is a far memory for me…

“The Lion lays down with the Lamb.” – We have heard this phrase taken from scripture but what does it mean? It is actually inferred from a longer scripture and it all means there will be a time when peace will prevail and enemies will cease to fight each other – and Jesus will be revered and all will be OK. Jesus will see with His Righteousness and not our wrongness. Isaiah foretold this and his writings bring vivid imagery of the stuff that dreams are made of – PEACE in play. Isn’t that both a nice thought and a hope into reality someday? And scenes like frustration will stop – scenes like fighting and temper tantrums will stop – and wars will cease – and life will truly be GOOD. The Wisdom and Spirit of God will rest on the Messiah and all of us will “delight in the fear of the Lord” – an AWE-event – an AWESOME time.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

Oh, that little boy on the sidewalk – I would imagine Jesus next to him saying “it is OK”, calming him down, and I imagine Jesus with the Mom too, saying “I understand, this is hard…”… I imagine this but I also know this because I know this has happened in my lifetime – and His Righteousness undercut the frustration – and the forgiveness was real and healing and the reality was righted. And the LONGVIEW is a view best seen thru JESUS’S HEART…

I do imagine a day of forgiveness – of peace – of hope – and of the Lord’s Lift – for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord…

Amen and Keep the Faith!

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Isaiah 11:1-10 NIV – speaking prophesy of Jesus the Messiah coming

The Branch From Jesse
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

Lions Roar and the Lord Leads, Amos 3

More “LION” scripture references can be found in the warnings of Amos – a prophet trying to tell the Israelites who have disobeyed the Lord, not followed Him, to realize that not only does the Lord mean business, but that He will give them the business. A Lion as a fierce animal and the Lord as the Law. The Lord as the power and the might. The Lord who is jealous for His Own people.

In our Lion scripture of Amos 3, first we are told to remember that the Lion does not roar for nothing – and it is not easy to tear anything from a Lion’s mouth. As for the Lord – He WILL roar as He DOES have something to roar about – He told His prophets to tell His people of all His plans and He did and does roar for their attention and for their commitment to listen.

To the folks who are not paying attention to the Lord, Amos reminds: He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth – the Lord God Almighty is his name.

Let us pay attention to the Lord leading and let us remember that as the Lions roar, the Lord Almighty surely roars for us!!!

AMEN

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AMOS 3 NIV

Witnesses Summoned Against Israel
Hear this word, people of Israel, the word the Lord has spoken against you—against the whole family I brought up out of Egypt:

“You only have I chosen
of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
for all your sins.”

Do two walk together
unless they have agreed to do so?
Does a lion roar in the thicket
when it has no prey?
Does it growl in its den
when it has caught nothing?
Does a bird swoop down to a trap on the ground
when no bait is there?
Does a trap spring up from the ground
if it has not caught anything?
When a trumpet sounds in a city,
do not the people tremble?
When disaster comes to a city,
has not the Lord caused it?

Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing
without revealing his plan
to his servants the prophets.

The lion has roared—
who will not fear?
The Sovereign Lord has spoken—
who can but prophesy?

Proclaim to the fortresses of Ashdod
and to the fortresses of Egypt:
“Assemble yourselves on the mountains of Samaria;
see the great unrest within her
and the oppression among her people.”

“They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord,
“who store up in their fortresses
what they have plundered and looted.”

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“An enemy will overrun your land,
pull down your strongholds
and plunder your fortresses.”

This is what the Lord says:
“As a shepherd rescues from the lion’s mouth
only two leg bones or a piece of an ear,
so will the Israelites living in Samaria be rescued,
with only the head of a bed
and a piece of fabric from a couch.”

“Hear this and testify against the descendants of Jacob,” declares the Lord, the Lord God Almighty.

“On the day I punish Israel for her sins,
I will destroy the altars of Bethel;
the horns of the altar will be cut off
and fall to the ground.
I will tear down the winter house
along with the summer house;
the houses adorned with ivory will be destroyed
and the mansions will be demolished,”
declares the Lord.

—

AMOS 4:11-13 NIV

You were like a burning stick snatched from the fire,
yet you have not returned to me,”
declares the Lord.

“Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
and because I will do this to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God.”

He who forms the mountains,
who creates the wind,
and who reveals his thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth –
the Lord God Almighty is his name.

The Lord Lights the Way through Lion Lamentations of Life

We’ve heard the phrase: “Sometimes bad things happen to good people.”… Simple enough to say “things will get better” but always hard to remember. We pray for perseverance and hope. We have been thru tough times before and we should know that in the tough times, the tough spots of life, God brings us the LIGHT, the LOVE, the LIFT, because He is LORD!

The people of Lamentations, the chapter and the times, when Prophet Jeramiah was writing to inspire and console, had problems, BIG problems, but the scriptures remind us that God’s LOVE and POWER does and will outweigh the issues of the world. The words to inspire include: I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life.

So, yes, the world can be tough, the situations that trip us up, and issues that become like those LIONS that drag us like prey… We think the Lord has turned his backs on us and yet GOD is more LOVE than He is correction, we must remember that the Lord is LOVE and He Lights the Way.

Keep it simple – just follow HIM.

Amen

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Lamentations 3:1-26

I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath. He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long.

He has made my skin and my flesh grow old and has broken my bones. He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead.

He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains. Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked.

Like a bear lying in wait, LIKE A LION IN HIDING, he dragged me from the path and mangled me and left me without help. He drew his bow and made me the target for his arrows.

He pierced my heart with arrows from his quiver. I became the laughingstock of all my people; they mock me in song all day long. He has filled me with bitter herbs and given me gall to drink.

He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust. I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

The Deep Dish into Life. Our Kings Favor over Raging Lion Roars

Too excited not to write it in gratitude… Oh, the crumbs of my leftover pizza are like the crumbs of my thoughts dropping everywhere… (PS I highly recommend an air fryer for re-crisping pizza!) I am happy to write about how GOD IS GOOD and we savor His Blessings…

Between last week and this week, I had wildly different experiences at concerts, both FABULOUS. Last Friday night 80’s music, I knew every song, and oh fun night of dancing singing along with my friends, plus 1000 others, everyone could record it, no one stopped them. A free-flowing fun… Then tonight was an elegant singer of Broadway fame. Oh fabulous and you could hear a pin drop as we waited on every note… no photos or recordings mind you, no standing nor dancing, a much fancier-dressed crowd. Elegant… ELEGANT!!!

Both concerts fantastic, both in the same venue, and remarkably I had the same seat, pretty much. Both were the cheap seats, but the riches of experience for me IS in this deep dish of experience of life that was and is palpable and palatable.

And speaking of DEEP DISH, I just finished my airfryer reheated lunch leftovers of a detroit-style deep dish pizza, made excellently and scrumptious. And like the concerts last week and this week, wildly different, it was 2 types of wildly different deep dish pizza at lunch, in contrasting savory flavors. The first pizza like eighties pop with spicy sauce, mini pepperoni and a big eighties’ hair-sized piped-dollop of smooth ricotta cheese. Glad I ate that one first. Then the second deep dish pizza was smooth cheese, mushrooms and arugula with balsamic drizzle, it was ELEGANT pizza… MMMM… So yes from a POP concert then to an ELEGANT concert, I bracketed that inside my fun perky pizza to elegant taste in pizzas. Yes, it was a life palooza of pizza and performance.

For friends it was a good girls night out to dance 80’s, and leapt at the really in expensive tickets months ago before it sold out, but contrast, for this Mandy Patinkin concert I thought to go alone right after work, not even knowing if I would go. But nothing impeded me, nothing popped up in interference, so after extra time at the office, traffic zipped there on my way home, and I got a cheap seat (there are no bad seats in that theatre) from the way way back, in my own row practically, just enough solitude to absorb my own pin drop thoughts as I sat there and soaked in the sounds of meticulous life music… After a fun lunch with the girls from work, and more work work, this was the ELEGANCE of alone time which is never alone, of thanking the Lord for the time, means, venues, the deep dish of life…

The best “LION scripture for March” (and it was LION March weather last night with the crisp cold) – that I can relate our “deep-dish life” experiences to is a Proverb 19:12: “A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass...” and I have to say that God’s favor in our ability to love life and live life is that dew on the grass – gentle and generous... Any favor – any rest – and sweetness of laughter of friends, and blessed aloneness of thought, is that dew on the grass – that deep generous dollop of life – that favor… AND aren’t we all living in favor for the generosity of our Lord and King? Not material items or trips or pizza – but living IN His mercy and grace – that is our dew blessing on our lives and even on our graves when we step into glory – there is no King’s rage anymore in that sense – there is only dew of LIFE and favor of LOVE. We should savor this all knowing God is in control. “The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”

Another proverb: “The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper.” – it is with understanding of the blessings of the Lord that we can sit in a deep dish of life and savor dew on the grass of His Blessings…

May you have deep-dish plans to prevail today – may you soak in the dew of the blessings of the King.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Amen

Lion around in Wait – for God is Great, Psalm 104

Oh MY – LIONS and LIONS and Scriptures to Bear!

It is not like the fear of Dorothy going to Oz – “Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” – but an awe exclamation of the number of inclusions of LIONS in the bible – which is enough to bring us each day to the middle of March when I plan to switch over to include daily scriptures about LAMBS… What a great theme of Lions to Lambs – weather wise and in life. The Lord uses both magnificently in scripture and we are in awe, like David writing his psalms songs of praise: How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” AND “I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.”

And the Lord uses the wind – David would also sing in Psalm 104: “He makes winds his messengers“. And weather-wise the early March wind has been HOWLING all afternoon night and then again this morning – WOW! I ain’t Lying about the LION of March’s weather roaring in. I shuddered at the sounds but we were safe and sound in the shuttered house, falling asleep counting blessings. I even remembered and praised that the big tree that used to scare us in the wind was taken down a couple years ago. I awoke to sunshine and hope in a new day (and TGIF!!!!)

And wow to know the LIONS of scripture! Of course there are many, and so I did look them up on a bible study tool engine online – which allows the finding all scriptures for a particular word. I LOVE PSALM 104!!! Psalm 104 brings the best of praise for the Lord’s ability to create and take care of His creations – growing and feeding – protecting and directing – including us – including the LIONS: “The Lions Roar for their prey and seek their food from God.“

There is SO much strength to be had in the bible verses to keep us going (and out of the Lion’s mouth). How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Scriptures are waiting for us to pick them up! Scriptures are worth knowing! YES – Let us be hungry like Lions and seek our good food for thought from the Lord! Let us be Lion around in Wait – for God is Great!

Amen

(and please be pleased with a Psalm 104 read.)

Psalm 104 – Praise the Lord, my soul.
Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.

He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross; never again will they cover the earth.

He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate – bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts. The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the junipers. The high mountains belong to the wild goats; the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.

He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away; they return and lie down in their dens. Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening.

How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number -living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works – he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord. But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Praise the Lord.

March and Live IN the Moment, 1st Peter 5

It’s the theme of the moment, to live IN the moment. Yeah!

This March (and always) we must march in the moment – humble ourselves to NOT overthink nor overstep – stay walking with the Lord at the pace of the day, whether a standing march or full forward strut. Whatever you do – don’t march ahead into the unknown – always walk with Jesus.

The month of March is also a month of lions weather-wise, roaring into spring, but don’t get carried away like a mud slide into anxious thoughts. Don’t give fuel to the devil to shake you up. Our advice from scripture is always to wait upon the Lord. The Lord requests us to remain calm, like the succinct advice from Peter:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

***We must TRUST the Lord, that covers our future, so don’t worry about the future. Worry gives the roaring lion of the devil a running start.***

***We must TRUST the Lord, He took care of us in the past. He has a “track record” – a proven track record. Jesus defeated the devil, keep remembering this.***

***We must TRUST the Lord, He is present in the present with us. We are protected in place and placement if we allow ourselves His Peace. ***

STANDING FIRM IN THE FAITH. MARCH-ING INTO PEACE.

Keep March-ing in the Moment.

Amen

—

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1st Peter 5)

Mere Mortals, March Lions, and Dust Trails, Ashes in Lent

Ash Wednesday is a day to remember there is no escapism from our mere mortal status, from dust to dust, us AND our oppressors, the Lord is the One who will fight for us. The battle belongs to the Lord. Mere Mortals are Made More with God shepherding.

For after lent comes Easter – we are to remember that we ARE saved – Jesus rescued and rescues and will come again.

And so escapism scenarios, and just plain hiding from life won’t work. Escapism is not the same as surviving best. Yes, we all do wobble, but Psalm 23 says to WALK through the valleys of shadows, don’t stay and linger.

In another “March in like a Lion” themed instance, Isaiah warns about the escapism of the ancient Israelites and Judah-ites thinking Egypt is their friend or at least a less evil compared to being carried away to Babylon for an exile said to be for 70 years. The Lord is purposeful in His ways, and Isaiah also told of the eventual downfall of Babylon. Isaiah later also speaks of a Messiah to save. We know Jesus came and finished the prophecies, and Jesus will come again and defeat evil one and for all. Even evil is exiled from existence eventually. Wait upon the Lord.

Salvation Secured Saving – it is the Lord who Saves. Be available for transport and be working for the Lord despite danger and disillusionment with the world. Make moments meaningful despite monumental challenges.

With coming from ashes and returning to ashes, we are to be reminded about God’s creation in us and God’s win over sin and death. Our ashes could be from burning through life, fiery and giving it your all until there’s nothing left in the tank. God’s ashes are His handiwork to move us more freely, and God-efficiently, thru life and into forever.

Don’t fear the ashes of death. Won’t in our travels we be lighter then? Dust trails behind us and in front. We will be rescued and restored, we will be with our Lord.

March Lions roar, but WITH the Lord, our souls will surely soar!

Amen

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Isaiah 31-32:4 NIV

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord. Yet he too is wise and can bring disaster; he does not take back his words. He will rise up against that wicked nation, against those who help evildoers.

But the Egyptians are mere mortals and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, those who help will stumble, those who are helped will fall; all will perish together.

This is what the Lord says to me: “As a lion growls, a great lion over its prey – and though a whole band of shepherds is called together against it, it is not frightened by their shouts or disturbed by their clamor – so the Lord Almighty will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and on its heights. Like birds hovering overhead, the Lord Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”

Return, you Israelites, to the One you have so greatly revolted against. For in that day every one of you will reject the idols of silver and gold your sinful hands have made. “Assyria will fall by no human sword; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them. They will flee before the sword and their young men will be put to forced labor. Their stronghold will fall because of terror; at the sight of the battle standard their commanders will panic,” declares the Lord. whose fire is in Zion, whose furnace is in Jerusalem.

See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.

Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. The fearful heart will know and understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.

The Lord Lion’s Share, Hosea 11

God loves us, He really does!!!

The Lord walks with us and reels us in, and “reals us in” to reality too. Realigned with God is how we are to live our lives. In reality, God gets the “Lion’s Share” and more.

God is surrounding us and instilled in our Spirit and us in Him. God loves us like no other. Even to wandering people, like Israelites and Judah-ites in Hosea’s time, God said and says: I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.

This March, for the “Roaring in like a Lion”, there is no bigger nor better Lion than our Lion of the Lord. GOD MEANS BUSINESS and PROTECTS and HOLDS His people, as a Lion would for cubs. This is for the wandering of old and the wondering of new. This is for us, we can not deny God as love pulling us in.

For I am God, and not a man – the Holy One among you…

They will follow the Lord; He will roar like a Lion. When He roars, His children will come trembling…

The Lord Almighty LOVES, He will Roar and implore His people to come to Him.

Let us be His. Let us walk in His Way.

Amen

—

Hosea 11:1-11

“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. But the more they were called, the more they went away from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love. To them I was like one who lifts a little child to the cheek, and I bent down to feed them.

“Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent? A sword will flash in their cities; it will devour their false prophets and put an end to their plans. My people are determined to turn from me. Even though they call me God Most High, I will by no means exalt them.

“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboyim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I devastate Ephraim again.

For I am God, and not a man – the Holy One among you. I will not come against their cities. They will follow the Lord; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. They will come from Egypt, trembling like sparrows, from Assyria, fluttering like doves. I will settle them in their homes,” declares the Lord.

March Lions are BOLD, Proverbs 28

“The righteous are as bold as a lion.” Solomon’s observation in Proverbs 28:1b

(I am keeping with my theme of March Lions and Lambs for this stretch of writing…)

I watched the Oscars as mindless meaty media and had many munchies as it was as marathon-like as any movie, but longer. I didn’t see any movie except “Wicked” which was so good, and like life, the deep understanding of the characters and their history in that movie is necessary to gauge their wickedness or goodness, or simply their human-ness gone astray. The Broadway musical score, of course, is grandeur and catchy at its best. The performance and every musical score were crowd pleasers on the show.

I don’t see many movies – but I’ve liked comedian Conan O’Brien, the Oscars host, for years, so made sure to tune in… and I appreciated the witty humor, gags, the speeches even, the glamor yes, and that the people liked doing their craft of making movies to inspire, teach, and entertain. Politics and faith, war and peace, fashion and firefighting, it all fit in the show.

Some folks play both good and evil characters, but mostly human ones who can make mistakes. THANK GOD, GOD LOOKS AT AND WEIGHS THE HEART (more wisdom from Solomon in Proverbs 21). Like the movies, people get type cast, but God is the one who leads the better plots. Follow Him.

And watching the Oscars was good for an “evening in” on a roar of chilly weather, on an early March night. Sunday is when my weekend brain is full, just decompression of a weekend and “time for myself”.

And yet this weekend was also a good time for me and the Lord, because click click click, I forced myself to sit down and I organized 2 whole chapters of my writing for print and pdf. It seems a process, but it’s my purpose and my pursuit of God’s Heart holds me in alignment of both writing and curating. Most of my writing is captured brain waves that flash then disappear from memory, maybe someone reads or needs it, but like last year’s Oscar’s and star-winners and movies, it’s gone from memory that quick. But SCRIPTURE remains – the wisdom and the freshness of it refreshed.

SO, the Lions in scripture roar the righteousness right into place. The Proverbs seem to be Lion roars of observation and wisdom from King Solomon both good yet flawed. King Solomon saw A LOT, ruled a long time, wrote extensively in God’s name and in his own processing. Human and wise, King Solomon would have seen the righteous and the wicked, both, and known how to use a Lion as symbol for each:

1) The Righteous are as bold as a Lion.

…

2) Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

…

It is up to us to be aware of the difference between good, righteous and evil, wicked. It is like a movie in some ways to discover and discern the characters of life, but behind the scenes and in front too, we are to know God weighs the heart. We need to be a March Lion of righteousness “righted” by God and “Marching” in His Way. We need to be wary of wicked lions chasing us. We need to remember that we can be bold IN God – and let Him score our lives.

Amen

—

Proverbs 21:1-3, 29-31

In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.
A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.
To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

…

The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways.
There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.

—-

Proverbs 28 NIV

The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order.

A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it resist them.

Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully.

Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.

A discerning son heeds instruction, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father.

Whoever increases wealth by taking interest or profit from the poor amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.

If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.

Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.

When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding.

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble.

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

A tyrannical ruler practices extortion, but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.

Anyone tormented by the guilt of murder will seek refuge in the grave; let no one hold them back.

The one whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but the one whose ways are perverse will fall into the pit.

Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.

A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

To show partiality is not good – yet a person will do wrong for a piece of bread.

The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.

Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue.

Whoever robs their father or mother and says, “It’s not wrong,” is partner to one who destroys.

The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.

Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.

Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses.

When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.

Jesus (and March Weather) Like a Lion and a Lamb

“Create in me a clean heart.” – The song and scripture was so moving that I choked up, rolled tears down from my eyes in the concluding acts of “David” (Sight and Sound’s Production that I finished watching online). As David prays, offering his broken spirit in sorrow for sinful adultery with Bathsheba and the battle-sent murder of Uriah – sinfulness and greed taking over his backtracking, he himself heard the message from prophet Nathan of the slaughter of a lamb. David found himself again offering prayers to “be washed white as snow” – David had tears of repentance and remarkable re-fixation upon the Lord. He was always “after God’s heart” and shows us that the deepest sinner can still return to be the most sincere God seeker.

The more the trials, the more we can rely upon God – in good and bad.

David in the musical remembered the days the Lord was with Him as a child playing the harp and writing the psalms of songs, and David realizes the Lord is ever-present and faithful.

“The Lord is after your heart – be after His” David urges Solomon, his son in the closing acts of his life and the play… The musical closes with David and all singing Psalm 23 boisterously and a visual of Jesus raising David into Heaven. Beautiful… Soul stirring and truthfully soothing.

Jesus came as the Lion of Judah and was slain as the lamb, in God’s Plan, in knowledge of salvation’s power, taking away the sins of the world, as far as East is from West.

We say that the weather in March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. March 1st for us was like a lion sleeping and then awoke with wind storms and cold… Surely the end of this month will be much warmer, calmer, and we will have felt triumphant over winter. Lion to Lamb.

We might relate this to that Jesus came in like a lion to this world, because Jesus IS as the Lion of Judah, the King, and then relate to Jesus leaving as the Lamb, but remember also Jesus, the King, IS the Lamb slain before the beginning, before the foundation of the world was laid down. Jesus knew He would lay down His Life. Jesus always was and is the Lamb, innocent and sacrificial. Jesus was led by His loyalty to God the Father and by His Love for all of us. The sacrificing servant is oru example, as Jesus is also the Shepherd.

Jesus is the Lamb and the Lion, and Jesus is our Lord and King.

We best, in any and all weather, GO with Jesus, because God goes with us.

Be after His Heart.

Amen

—

Psalm 23 of David

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

—

David speaking to King Saul in 1st Samuel 17 how the Lord protects: “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine. [Goliath]” Saul then said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

—

1st Kings 2:1-4

David’s Last Words to Solomon: When David’s time to die was near, he told his son Solomon, “I am going the way of all the earth. So be strong. Show yourself to be a man. Do what the Lord your God tells you. Walk in His ways. Keep all His Laws and His Word, by what is written in the Law of Moses. Then you will do well in all that you do and in every place you go. Then the Lord will keep His promise to me. He has said to me, ‘Your sons must be careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and soul.

—

Psalm 51:9-15 of David in repentance: Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

March AND JESUS Roar in like a Lion

It’s not going to be THAT fierce of weather today, but enough force of wind this afternoon will remind us that we are in late winter. March ROARS IN like a LION they say, and yet out like a lamb in gentleness…. Hmmmm… We know a Lion that is also a Lamb…

YES, Jesus ROARS in like a Lion too, both Him and His Word. Genesis speaks first of Lions in scripture, and scripture itself is the ROAR into lives, bringing Jesus directly to us. The Rescue is like a Lion Who takes what is His – and WE ARE JESUS’S – we are His.

In Genesis 49:9-12 Jacob is speaking about his sons, specifically JUDAH, who is the namesake of the tribe of Judah (1 of 12) and the land settled including Bethlehem where Jesus was born from. Jacob speaks of Judah as a LION – and speaks of Jesus coming through that Land as the Ruler: “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.”

Oh yes! Jesus is the ROAR into today and the fierce ruler of today and tomorrow. Jesus is the Lamb Slain who will lead us through today, this month, and always. The Lion of Judah is Jesus, Worthy. The Nations will all be obedient to Him one day – so let us start now with our own obedience and TRUST HIM. No one on earth or in Heaven but Jesus is Worthy.

The Scroll and the Lamb – Revelation 5:1-5 written by John sees this LION of Judah, Jesus, Who is a Lamb slain for the sins of the people of the world. John sees a revelation of Jesus when He comes again: Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Let us take this month of Lions and Lambs and be wary of whom we find worthy – may we find ourselves in Jesus’s Care as He ROARS into our lives.

Amen

Debbie Upper

A Child of God Awakening to His Love

Month: March 2025

The Lamb IS the Light, Revelation 21

A Sermon about Gideon and to KNOW OUR GOD IN ACTION

An Appetite for the Supper with the Lamb, Revelation 19

JESUS the Lamb Overcomes, Revelation 17-18

The Song of the Lamb OVERCOMES, Revelation 15

In the Presence of the Lamb, Revelation 14

Rest in Jesus, Who Calms the Storms, the Lamb Slain, Revelation 13, Mark 4, Isaiah 53

I Remember, I Remember, By the Blood of the Lamb, Revelation 12 (and Lauren Daigle)

The Lamb Opens the Future: Scrolls and Seals, Revelation

Stay Close to the Lamb, Jesus. Revelation 7 Isaiah 49 Jeremiah 7 Psalm 1

Take IN Daily Bread, Revelation 19

Worthy is the Lamb, Revelation 5

Better than a Pot of Gold, the NEW JERUSALEM and Bride of the Lamb, Revelation 21

Behold the Lamb of God Rising Above the Storm

Travel Transitions Truly

A Lion’s Roar of Loyalty and the Lamb’s Save for Eternity, My Uncle’s Memorial

By Faith, We Fly. “Have Faith and Live It Too.”

Surviving the Lion’s Den

A Cat’s Bite, A LION’S ROAR

The Lion, the Lamb, the Peace

Lions Roar and the Lord Leads, Amos 3

The Lord Lights the Way through Lion Lamentations of Life

The Deep Dish into Life. Our Kings Favor over Raging Lion Roars

Lion around in Wait – for God is Great, Psalm 104

March and Live IN the Moment, 1st Peter 5

Mere Mortals, March Lions, and Dust Trails, Ashes in Lent

The Lord Lion’s Share, Hosea 11

March Lions are BOLD, Proverbs 28

Jesus (and March Weather) Like a Lion and a Lamb

March AND JESUS Roar in like a Lion

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