"The Lord"

 

A long time my friend, a very long time

The end of the road in a blink of an eye

How it all ends, I'm praying with hope

Hold on to wonder and reason for it all

 

The times you were alone, I was with you; when you lost your way, guided you through; took your hand, to carry on; I will always be; and you with me! 

 

Never lose hope, keep pushing through 

Know my eyes are always fixed on you

The power from on high is your lifeline   

Take hold of my hand, place it in mine 

 

The times you were alone, I guided you home; picked you up when you fell and cried out please; wiped your tears; calmed your fears; yes...it was me!

 

And in the end, we will meet again; you will see the reason for it all; your guiding light through your fight, to find your way back home; I love you so, your friend...the Lord!

Be Prepared

Jesus said to his disciples: "Be sure of this; if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all of his property. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servants master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his masters will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."

Consideration: Jesus speaks a parable that tells us to be prepared, faithful, and obedient. Those who are complacent and do not do the will of their master are told that they will suffer punishment for their foolish behavior and actions. Let us pray for the grace of wisdom; to know the will of the Lord and to be prepared always for his return. Amen.

The Harvest

Jesus told the crowd a parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!" But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you, and things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?' Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God."

Consideration: Jesus tells a parable to the crowd that is a wake-up call for us today as well. Many spend their lives accumulating material things and wealth. There is nothing wrong with being wealthy as long as the harvest gives glory to God as well. Many do much good with the bounty that they have been blessed with, but others never seem to have enough. Heed the words of God, "You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you, and things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?" Amen.

Be Vigilant

Jesus said to the disciples: "Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants."

Consideration: To be prepared is a great quality to possess. Jesus tells his disciples to be prepared; to be vigilant, and in doing so that they will be blessed and rewarded greatly upon his return. Amen!

Your Dream

Dream and believe, breathe life into things, that feed the soul, that make you whole, take full control, of your heart and mind, the reason for life, to lift to guide, soar to mountains high, there you will find, there you will see, there you will live…your dream!

Believe you can overcome, believe you can be set free, believe if you have fallen from grace, believe endless possibilities, believe the time has arrived, believe this moment in life, believe you have come this far for a reason, seeing is believing...is dreaming!

Dream and believe, love your neighbor, let bitterness end, heal old wounds, be kind to a friend, sick need mending, offer your hand, breathe life into things, feed the soul, fallen from grace, be set free, you will find, you will see, you will live…your dream!

The Census Tax

The Pharisees went off and plotted on how they might entrap Jesus in speech. They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion, for you do not regard a person's status. Tell us, then, what is your opinion. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" Knowing their malice, Jesus said, "Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Sow me the coin that pays the census tax." Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, "Whose Image is this and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's." At that he said to them, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."  

Consideration: Jesus once again calls out the Pharisee hypocrisy. They tried to get him to disobey the law of Caesar and instead made fools of themselves. They said to Jesus that he is not concerned with anyone's opinion; the reason Jesus is not concerned with anyone's opinion is because they are cunning hypocrites. The Pharisees are consistent in their approach to Jesus; and Jesus is consistent calling them out to be hypocrites. Amen.

Acknowledge the Son of Man

Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. "Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before the synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how and what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say." 

Consideration: We are to have the courage to speak the name of Jesus to all people without reservation. As the disciples were called by Jesus to follow and to proclaim him as the Christ, so too are we to follow their example of faith, hope, and trust in the Lord; and with love do the same. Amen.