About this place from Pastor Loran

 The scoundrel Jacob was in “this place”:  where is “this place” this is my title to the sermon, but first The picture of Jesus rolling back the darkness with his own bare hands was part of the liturgy in the music and worship time.   It is a dark place.

The title on the website is God Is Where You Are.  I believe that.  

The magic of reminiscence is God’s blessing of having a memory at all, no matter that age has diminished much of my short term memory ability.

Pastor reminded us that Jacob was sooo afraid for his life.  A rock was his pillow and his brother was estranged from him for these years and had vowed to kill him for his having stolen the blessing from him.  Jacob didn’t know that Esau had cooled from the original anger, through age and many other blessings that he had received from God.  

The Ladder or stairway up and down out of Heaven. Jacob had awakened to the reality of spiritual activity that was around him.  Jacob had been blind to these realities prior to this, but now he was aware.  His relationship with God was solidified and he was able to trust God who was taking him into his confidence in this way.  God said of Abraham, shall we hide from our friend Abraham what we are about to do?  The blessing of the future was coupled with a deeper understanding of the spiritual realities and activities around him.  The same with Jacob.  The same with each of us. 

Pastor said it was a door of greater revelation into the activities of God that came in the darkness of that moment.  Keeping our eyes open for the open door of understanding that is provided in the darkness of difficulty was the application.  I can relate to that.  I can trust God who makes us understand him in the shadows of difficulty.  God’s silences are loud and the darkness of fear and difficulty are the ushers into the already open door of communion with God.   I am just chewing on an already clear expression of God’s word preached by my pastor. 

Jesus the reigning king of our lives

The areas of our lives that we allow Jesus to reign and the areas that we choose to reign for ourselves.

We choose to let Jesus reign in worship

We choose to let Jesus reign in praise and prayer

We choose to let Jesus reign in our vows and marriage

We choose to let Jesus reign in our labors

We choose to let Jesus reign in love and conflicts

Lord Jesus, we desire to see you reign in our lives and in the lives of all in whom we are in contact.  Reveal the wonder of your reign in our lives to the benefit of many around us, for your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

 

Welcome Back coater?

Affirmative action for faith based Heaven admission

It is the blood of Jesus, but it is also true repentance that allows entrance.  Perhaps St. Peter has a few choice saints that he asks, do you know this woman?  Are you a friend of hers?  Are you an acquaintance?

What did it mean that some people bartered in gold and jewels and people and the souls of people? In Scripture there are people to whom heaven is promised blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the meek…etc.  Does heaven belong to you and to your children if you are clinging to a movement of souls that is hellbound.  If you have vowed to continue with them into eternity and they are not going where you claim to be going, are you going?

Does God use affirmative action?  Does God use a legacy?  Even Abraham has to trust Jesus to be saved.   Abraham saw my day and was glad, Jesus said.  When did you see Abraham they asked him.

Church repentance that is more than just lipservice to the concept of repentance is what the Lord requires from us all.  We are his people and the sheep of his pasture?

Did you require a greater allegiance to yourself than I required from you?  Must we all give up our all to follow the higher education mandate?  Jesus will try us all in our allegiances.  He will try what our true pride is in.  Is it in our degree or lack thereof? Is it in our pedigree or muttiness?  Our words betray our true allegiance.  All to Jesus or all to me and what I have accomplished and amassed for myself, building bigger and better bastions of dominion for my progeny. Are we the fools that we appear to be. Is our soul ready to answer for the things that we have neglected to confess and forsake and see the true affirmative action of the blood of Jesus that cleanses and makes us allies with him!