Scribble Book Opportunity

Anyone interested in purchasing one of the books of my scribbles and/or devotions, Blurb is having a special for the next two days.  Here is the site to visit:

http://www.blurb.com/my/store

Here I Am, Send Me   http://www.blurb.com/b/3735678-here-i-am-send-me
A Lenten Journey to the Cross    http://www.blurb.com/b/3191699-a-lenten-journey-to-the-cross
Make a Joyful Scribble Unto the Lord  http://www.blurb.com/b/3059671-make-a-joyful-scribble-unto-the-lord
A Year of Rev. Al's Sermons in Scribbles  http://www.blurb.com/b/2974624-a-year-of-rev-al-s-sermons-in-scribbles
Acts of the Apostles http://www.blurb.com/b/2572500-the-book-of-acts-in-scripture-scribbles


Here is the info from a Blurb email I received:

We've made a coupon for you to share that gives your fans $10 off your book.* (You'll still get your full profit, of course, and you can use the coupon yourself).

Here's how: just use the code SHARING10 at Blurb Bookstore's checkout and get $10 off a book.

This is a perfect opportunity for you to tell the whole world about your book. Email, Twitter, Facebook, your blog, skywriting, shouting from the rooftops – we're sure you'll find tons of ways to get the word out. (Just don't wait too long, this offer ends May 2, 2013.)

GLORY AND LOVE

GLORY AND LOVE

Invitation....

If you think of glory as light, it is bright; we are amazed and blinded in its presence. 

Love, though, is warm; we are invited to enter it, to be enveloped by its welcome. 

Imagine these two portions of the spectrum coming together, one bleeding into the other, each becoming part of the other. You find it hard to distinguish them as separate.

Now think of God.

(d365.org, Aram Bae, author)

SATURDAY, May 4 

“Do the Same”

Psalm 148:11-13 (CEB)

Do the same, you kings of the earth and every single person,
    you princes and every single ruler on earth!
 Do the same, you young men—young women too!—
    you who are old together with you who are young!

 Let all of these praise the Lord’s name
    because only God’s name is high over all.
    Only God’s majesty is over earth and heaven.

DO THE SAME the scripture says.

And includes the elite and the common,

Rich and poor, young and old.

DO THE SAME to the men and women,

Black and white,

Catholic and Protestant,

Muslim and Jew.

But we are so different!

Our beliefs so radically opposite.

Our values not aligned.

Lifestyles of various paths.

DO THE SAME?

What can we possibly do together?

What can unite us?

PRAISE GOD.
Yes!

We can unite in praise to the Almighty Creator of all,

We can join hands and sing together, “Hallelujah! Amen!”

Don’t dwell on differences,

But focus instead on the love and glory that can unite. 

May we raise our hearts and voices

And in chorus together do the same:

All glory and praise to the eternal God of all!  

Benediction….

God the Creator, guide my heart and fill it with kindness and gentleness.
God the Redeemer, clear my mind and focus me with mercy and grace.
God the Sustainer, steady my soul and convict it with justice and truth.
As you bless me today with your glory and love, may I bless others too.

(d365.org, Aram Bae, author) 

FRIDAY, May 3

“This IS It!”

Revelation 21:5-6 (CEB)

Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look! I’m making all things new.” He also said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”  Then he said to me, “All is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will freely give water from the life-giving spring.

     In the education world, it seems like a new practice emerges every few years.  A new curriculum, a new approach to learning, a different way to make miracles happen in the classroom.  You never really have a chance to know how well the 'old' was working before it is tossed aside for the latest  pedagogy. It can be frustrating for both teacher and students.

     The Hebrews had been searching for a Messiah for generations, thinking each new prophet might be the 'one'.  In Revelation, God declares, “I’m done.  This IS it.”  Christ is the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.  There will not be another new religion to try.   Look no further.  Believe in Jesus Christ and you will drink from the living waters….forever. 

     It’s comforting to have this kind of unchanging rock;  to have something solid in which to anchor ourselves in our ever spinning world.  Beginning and end.  Believe. 

THURSDAY, May 2 

“Tears and Love”

Revelation 21:3-4a (The Message)

 I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes.

God is here.

Next door, right HERE in the neighborhood.

God is here.

In the next room, or

On the couch beside me.

God is HERE.

With me, within me.

Intimate enough to comfort,

To lovingly hold my hand,

And wipe my tears.

God is present.

Everyday and in everyplace.

Welcome, God,

Come, help us take LOVE,

And in wiping the tears of our neighbors,

Make everything new.

WEDNESDAY, May 1 “Everything New”

Revelation 21:1-2  (The Message)

I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea.  I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband.

New.

Fresh out of the package.

A special scent or smell.

Crisp and unwrinkled.

Anticipation and expectation.

New.

Spring Cleaning.

Sort out the musty closets.

Shine up the windows.

Toss out the old and worn-out,

Bring on the NEW!

New.

The scent of the air after a Spring storm.

Creation awakening from a fresh bath.

Droplets still clinging to quivering leaves,

As life bursts forth in hope.  

New.

A New Heaven, a New Earth.

God’s promise through Christ.

A New Life, a New Me,

Reborn, re-created, re-purposed.  

Shake off the baptismal waters and live

With the Glory and Love of

Everything New in God. 

TUESDAY, April 30

“Love Logo”

John 13:34-35 (The Message)

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

The men of my family are Steeler fans.

They have the t-shirts and hats,

The Steeler blankets and pennants.

Maybe even a license plate frame or mug!

People KNOW they are Steeler fans.

Do people know the same about our Lord?

Do they see us and recognize that we are Christians?

Do we wear a fish hat or a cross around our neck?

What evidence do we give?

The evidence Christ commanded:

Love.

Love for each other.

Love for all.

This is the brand we are to wear.

The LOGO is LOVE.

Wear it.

Show it.

Live it. 

MONDAY, April 29
 "Glory All Around!"
John 13:31-32 (The Message)
When he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is seen for who he is, and God seen for who he is in him. The moment God is seen in him, God’s glory will be on display. In glorifying him, he himself is glorified—glory all around!
.

Glory.

Short and simple. 

Just five letters. 

Not a daily word.

Not on my 'most used' vocabulary list. 

It is a word outside of me. 

Glory.

Elusive, but holy. 

Reverent, dazzling, blinding.

Glory in simple terms 

Is a magnificent reflection of God.

Glory.

While John makes it confusing 

With glory God here and glory Christ there, 

Glory is God in Christ.

Pause now, in holy wonder and awe,

At the scope, grace, and majesty of our universal God.  

Glory all around! 

SUNDAY, April 28  

“Praise and Glory”

Psalm 148: 1-12 (Selections from Good News Translation)

Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord from heaven,
    you that live in the heights above…

Praise the Lord from the earth…

Lightning and hail, snow and clouds…

Praise him, hills and mountains,
    fruit trees and forests…

Praise him, kings and all peoples,
    princes and all other rulers….

Let them all praise the name of the Lord!
His name is greater than all others;
    his glory is above earth and heaven.

    Psalm 148 is like a Top Twenty list of who should offer up praise to the Living God.  It begins with the realm of the heights above, then includes the physical earth, the creatures of the earth, and finally, the peoples of the earth.  Sometimes we peoples of the earth get the impression WE are the only ones that count in the creation and praise department.  When we experience the Creation of God in all that we encounter, when we allow ourselves to be a part of the natural forces or to gaze at the night sky, we find we are just a small part of God’s glory.  May we revel in the beauty of creation and witness the glory of God within.  That glory is within us as well. 

TOP TWENTY LIST from Psalm 148:

1.    Angels

2.    Heavenly armies

3.    Sun & Moon

4.    Stars

5.    Rain Clouds

6.    Sea Monsters

7.    Ocean Depths

8.    Lighting & Hail

9.    Snow

10.Wind

11.Hills & Mountains

12.Fruiting trees

13.Forests

14.Animals

15.Reptiles

16.Birds

17.Kings

18.Young & Old

19.Male & Female

20. All peoples; all races

SERMON NOTES:  

Rev. Philip, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Edgewood, NM

·       Despair is when you say NEVER and you shouldn’t.

·       Our vocation, our job, is a calling from God.  He has equipped us.

·       Three tools: The Word (Bible), Baptism (Holy Spirit to help us understand the Word), and Lord’s Supper (Community Shared Meal)

·       God isn’t out in a bar having a beer, he is here among us in the dirty parts of life.

·       We should always have an ongoing reformation in our hearts.

·       Wash daily with the Word.   

·       The Joy of the Lord is your strength.

·       Joy is not the icing on the cake; it is the foundation plate the cake rests upon.

·       Do not despair for the world, Joy is the foundation, there is no NEVER because there is the HOPE that lies in each of us. 

ON THE ROAD DEVOTIONS

SATURDAY, April 27 “Ready to Listen!”

1 Samuel 3:10  (The Message)

Then God came and stood before him exactly as before, calling out, “Samuel! Samuel!”  Samuel answered, “Speak. I’m your servant, ready to listen.”

     Our world is filled with communication devices.  With the modern pagers, email or texts, TV, Smart phones and Blackberries, you can toss in more ‘primitive’ forms of communication such as books, magazines, and newspapers or radio and television.  Are we ever ‘out of touch’?  God called to Samuel with the communication of the period: voice.  And it took Samuel three tries before he was ready to listen, before he understood it was God. How and when is God calling to us in this hectic modern age?  Are we tuned-in enough to God-channels that we will KNOW God’s voice when it comes?  It may come through an email, a text, or the intercom at the department store, ‘Paging Ginger Rembold!’ It is an individual call for a specific purpose to use our personal God-given gifts.   

     God is calling.  He has a plan for us.  Are we prepared and ready to listen?  Are we tuned in?  Are we ready to hear our name?  

FRIDAY, April 26 “Live Each Day Fully”

Ephesians 5:16-17 (The Message)

So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!  Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.

    I went online as I was trying to remember a famous quote about making TODAY the best season of life.  Whether we are young, middle-age, or nearing our final season, God has work for us to do, gifts for us to share.  We need to live for this season and not spend it fearing the next.  Don’t wait for tomorrow.  Live today fully – in love and reveling in God’s glory. All the quotes I found are anonymous:

There is no time, No time to spare, 

These are the moments, In which we share. 

There is no time, Forget the past, 

For nothing is forever, This will not last. 

There is no time, The end is near, 

Love each moment, Live not in fear.

The past should be left in the past or it can steal your future. Live life for what tomorrow can bring and not what yesterday has taken away. Every day is a gift. 

In the end we only regret the chances we didn't take, the relationships we were afraid to have and the decisions we waited too long to make. Don't waste a single moment.  

Scroll down....new scribbles posted! 

THURSDAY, April 25  "Tough Love"
Acts 13:17-18  (Common English Bible)

 The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors. God made them a great people while they lived as strangers in the land of Egypt. With his great power, he led them out of that country.  For about forty years, God put up with them in the wilderness.
        We parents often speak of 'tough love' -  times when you have to provide guidance for your wayward children in a firm and seemingly harsh manner.  Your children are being 'tough TO love' during these moments!  God had this problem with the Israelites during their time in the wilderness.  They were like teenagers - constantly pushing his buttons, breaking the rules, or exceeding the limits imposed.  Yet, as Paul writes, God put up with them.  The GNT says God ‘endured’ them!  He continued to provide for their physical needs and was present with them.  Whenever we are frustrated with children or others we attempt to serve, may we remember our Father/Mother Parent-God who probably feels the same with us, only multiplied universe-fold!

     We all know those who are ‘tough to love’ or ungrateful.  May we have the patience with them that God has shown with us.  

Be as patient with others as God has been with you. (ODB)

WEDNESDAY, April 24  "Focus" 

Hebrews 12:1-2 (The Message)

So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.

     I struggled this morning to find WHAT I wished to ponder.  I looked at d365.org.  Still on Revelation and flocks & shepherds.  Did that last year.  I checked the Walk Through the Bible Devotion.  Nothing caught my fancy.  Last choice, the Our Daily Bread booklet from church.  And I found the Hebrews passage.  Maybe my reminder today is to focus on just ONE source.  To get rid of my morning perusal of email, Facebook, and the internet while simultaneously trying to spend time with God.  I think God is getting short-changed.  I need to momentarily ‘get rid of everything in the way’ and keep my eyes ‘fixed on Jesus’.  And maybe I won’t then struggle.  Pick one and stick with it.  God will speak if I give Him time.  Or maybe, it is time to not worry about MY input, and focus on God's.  Check the prayer list.  Spend time there!  Listen....God is speaking.  
We can finish strong when we focus on Christ. (ODB)

TUESDAY, April 23 “Repentability Meter”

2 Samuel 12:13 (The Message)

Then David confessed to Nathan, “I’ve sinned against God.”  Nathan pronounced, “Yes, but that’s not the last word. God forgives your sin. You won’t die for it.

      Most of us prayerfully and humbly go through the motions of confession each week during a Sunday service.  We acknowledge we don’t always do things right.  And then, sadly, we go back and do the same thing again, over and over. But repentance is more than motion.  It is a practice.  It is an acceptance of and a response to God’s mercy at all times, in sins both large and small.

     What is my response when confronted with wrong-doing?  Do I get defensive?  Make excuses and try to pawn the blame on someone else?  Or am I able to humbly say, ‘I was wrong. Please forgive me.’?  Am I able to daily ask God for His forgiveness and respond with the same forgiveness to others?   What is my score on the “Repentability” Meter? 

MONDAY, April 22  “Grabbing Chances”

Acts 8:34-35 (The Message)

The eunuch said, “Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?” Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.

How many were in Phillip’s congregation that day?  Just one.  And that one, the Ethiopian eunuch, was ripe to hear the word of God.  How often do we fear we aren’t speaking to a big enough audience?  We measure success of an event by how many were in attendance.  Maybe, just maybe, God has placed just one person before us for whom our words or actions will make all the difference in the world.  When that happens, we must be ready to grab our chance.  And because we don’t always recognize at the time WHO that one person might be, we must be ready to ALWAYS grab chances.  We must always be the image of God’s love.  God is preparing someone to be ripe for the message.  We need to be ready to do our part.  It might just be our neighbor or the next person we meet.

You are a success in God’s kingdom if you are faithful where He has placed you. (ODB)

SUNDAY, April 21  "Earth Day"

Psalm 139: 14 (The Message)

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration - what a creation!

     The Psalmist David is speaking to God of the wonder of his own creation, the way his body is crafted to respond and heal, to work and worship.  Yesterday as we hiked and traveled through the beauty of Big Bend National Park in Texas, I am led to consider more than the human is included in this text.  

     The desert environment is a harsh host.  Water is fickle, nourishment scarce.  And yet, when we find how God has fashioned the incredible ways these living beings adapt to their environment, it gives pause once again to the wonder of the universe, the wonder of it all.  Ocotillos only sprout leaves after a rainfall.  It may be a brief period, they dry and fall, to be repeated several times a year when the rain comes.  Some seeds have a covering that prevents germination unless enough rain falls to wash it off, thus saying, "Go for it, you have a chance!" The stories repeat over and over - God has given us what we need to survive, to even thrive.  When we use these gifts as God has intended, we will be blessed in ways we cannot foresee.  

     May we continue to worship in adoration to the God of all creation! 

SERMON NOTES:  John 10:22-30  First Presbyterian Church of Alpine, TX  Rev. Jobeth McLeod

• Today is often called Good Shepherd Sunday
• My sheep know MY voice.
• We have selective hearing and often are tuned only to the voice of the world. 
• Selective hearing helps if we are tuned to the right station. 
• Our room in Hotel Heaven is ready, the light is turned on, for whenever we are ready to check in.

TEXAS DEVOTIONS: JESUS APPEARS!

d365.org PAUSE! 
Suddenly, Jesus is there.

After his death, after his resurrection, Jesus shows up again for his followers. And each time it is a stunning experience for them.

Things haven't changed. When Jesus appears in our lives it still takes us by surprise. It could happen any moment, however ready we are – or not.

SATURDAY, April 20  “Worship”

Revelation 5:13-14  (GNT)

And I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, in the world below, and in the sea—all living beings in the universe—and they were singing:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb,
    be praise and honor, glory and might,
    forever and ever!”

 The four living creatures answered, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Last week Rev. Michelle spoke of worship as work.  Today’s d365.org spoke of worship and praise in Revelation.  It made me sytop and think, “What does it mean to worship?”  What is worship to me?

WORSHIP is……

WELCOME to all and with all our community; together with all living creatures.

WONDER and WOW, A sense of awe and reflection, and anticipation for what is to come.

WORK. A call to Service in honor of the one we praise.

WITHOUT END, continual, minute by minute, day by day, as we seek God in everyplace and time.

WISDOM, as we are filled with the knowledge of God and his plan for our lives.

WILDLY celebrative, with song and dance of praise and adoration for the glory of our God!

WITH INVOLVEMENT, a response and interaction on our part.

AMEN!

Or another way it came to me…..

What is worship?

WONDER.

ONGOING

RESPONSIVE

SERVICE

Held in COMMUNITY

INTERACTIVE

PRAISE for the glory of God!

As we hiked the trails of Big Bend today, I tried to revel in the worship of God through the flowers, the peaks, the blue skies, the birds, and the fellowship of all.  Glory to God! 

FRIDAY, April 19 "Just Follow"
John 21:18-19 (The Message)
When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, “Follow me.”

I can't do your work, Lord.
It is too hard.  It demands too much.
I am like Peter of Holy Week.
The denials will escape before I realize it,
Especially when the task is hard.
I don't want to travel Peter's road.
     Don't compare.  Just follow.
There are so many doing great deeds
In your name, Lord.
I don't have that strength or will.
I don't have those resources.
     Use what you have.  Just follow. 
There is so much pain and hurt, Lord.
So much war and oppression.
What difference can I make?
My actions are so insignificant.
     Small acts of love.  Just follow. 
     I am with you.  You'll make a difference. 




THURSDAY, April 18 "Feeding Sheep"

John 21:17 (The Message)

Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”   Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.”   Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

     This is the text from last Sunday’s sermon at St. Andrew’s.  Jesus three times asks Peter about his love.  I don’t think Jesus is doubting Peter so much as he is affirming his forgiveness for Peter’s denials during Holy Week.  If we truly LOVE JESUS, then we accept his grace, and move on to action.  We move on to the work of worship, as Rev. Michelle put it.  We work to take care of the poor, the oppressed, the needy, the hurting. We are blessed to JOIN JESUS in his ministry today.  Each action is a demonstration of our love for God. Feed the sheep!

WEDNESDAY, April 17 "It's Mealtime!"
John 21:9-10, 12-13  (Good News Translation)
When they landed, they saw a fire there, with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you’ve just caught.”
Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples could bring themselves to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. 
    Breaking bread, feeding with fish, glasses of wine - all meals shared.  Over and over, Jesus appears in the commonplace event of mealtime.  As Christian community, gathering together as a family to share not only physical nourishment, but spiritual as well, is critical to our well being.  It is in these moments of the everyday that Jesus often appears.  The Lord's presence can be found in this simple daily ritual.   
    Don't belittle the church potluck!  Christ is present!  Come!  Join in the feast with fellow believers and be fed!  


TUESDAY, April 16  "Abundant Answers"
John 21:4-7  (The Message)

When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn’t recognize him.  Jesus spoke to them: “Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?”  They answered, “No.”  He said, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.”

They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren’t strong enough to pull it in.  Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Master!”

     Were the disciples REALLY fishing?  Or were they trying to take their mind off the fact that Jesus hadn’t come to them yet again.  Did they expect fish?  What were they praying for while they sat in the boat all night?

     Sometimes when we pray, we find our answer in the patience of waiting.  Waiting for God to respond.  Waiting for a sign.  When we are able to allow God to work in God’s timetable, our prayers are often answered in abundance.  The disciples not only welcomed their Lord, they also had plenty of fish to eat! 

     May we practice patience for God-time.  May we wait with eyes open to the answered prayers that surround us daily.  Jesus is alive and everywhere! 

MONDAY, April 15  “Fishing”

John 21:1-3 (The Message)

After this, Jesus appeared once more to his disciples at Lake Tiberias. This is how it happened. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael (the one from Cana in Galilee), the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of Jesus were all together. Simon Peter said to the others, “I am going fishing.”

“We will come with you,” they told him. So they went out in a boat, but all that night they did not catch a thing.

Where does Jesus appear for you? According to other Gospels, the disciples have seen Jesus several times since the resurrection.  They are gathered together at the lake, waiting.  Will THIS be another time he comes? Something like sitting around watching the pot boil or waiting for paint to dry!  Perhaps they are going stir crazy.  When we sit and wait, nothing happens.  So.... they go fishing!

Sometimes I find it difficult to pray or reflect on scripture while just sitting.  I am easily distracted or I find nothing happens.  Peter went fishing,  others may go take a bike ride.  Rick likes to hike or snowshoe.  That’s where he meets with Jesus.  I spend time praying while walking, talking aloud with God.  The activity helps to clear away the clutter and confusion of our life and allow room for God to be seen! 

May we find a way to open space in our life for Jesus to appear!  

SUNDAY, April 14  "Bursting Forth"

Psalm 30:11-12  (The Message)

You did it: you changed wild lament
    into whirling dance;
You ripped off my black mourning band
    and decked me with wildflowers.
I’m about to burst with song;
    I can’t keep quiet about you.
God, my God,
    I can’t thank you enough.

     God catches us by surprise with grace, love, and forgiveness.  And the result is a moment of sheer joy!  May we be open to receive those moments, to recognize the glimpses of God present, to witness Jesus' appearance in our lives.  I think of the springtime dress of the Hill Country in wildflowers, the stunning display of glory carpeting the world.  Let us dance!  Let us praise God!  We are decked with God's glory!  May we burst forth with song! 

PS.  I'll break forth in song today: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our youngest son, Luke!!  

SERMON NOTES:
Jesus said to Peter, "Feed My Sheep".