³⁵On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” ³⁶And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. ³⁷A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. ⁴⁰He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” ⁴¹And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (NLT)

Welcome to the ‘Pew…Today we will spend some time with a very familiar account of Jesus calming the waters and the storm as He traveled to the far side of the lake. THE Lake of Galilee was notorious for its storms. They came on quickly and were terrifying. A writer describes them like this: ‘It is not unusual to see terrible squalls even when the sky is perfectly clear, on these waters which are usually calm’. It has been written this storm tested the faith or lack of faith of the disciples. Fact is that anyone that undertook the trip across the lake was always liable to encounter such weather. While we are here it might be appropriate to ask ourselves if we can recall a time when our faith was really tested? It is important to remember that these disciples were for the most part simple men and they by this time had seen and heard much, maybe a little more than they could process. As we take a little more time to absorb the words in these verses, the wealth of information we find here helps us to better appreciate the Good Book and what the writer of Mark has left us. While we would not have thought it mattered, in that time apparently it was important where a person sat. When inviting guests to join you for meal it was the custom to seat them in order of their importance and standing in the community. We know that it was a custom that a Rabbi stood to preach and sat to teach. Jesus was seated in the stern on a small cushion, as was the custom extended to any distinguished person.

In Mark 1:25 when Jesus encountered a demon possessed man,  he used the same two words in this verse to address the storm…the rain, wind and the waves. It is relative to compare them because when Jesus spoke the demons obeyed.The people in Palestine believed in those days, the evil power of the demons were at work in the realm of nature. But there is much more here. We know that the storm was quelled by the spoken word of Jesus. Those in the boat were astonished, they marveled at the power of Jesus… they saw it as a physical miracle, it happened at that moment…perhaps never again. William Barclay sees it in a symbolic sense and here is one of those thoughts worthy of consideration and learning. Once those in that boat heard Jesus command the storm to cease and realized Jesus was with them a sense of peace entered their hearts. For us today it can mean that to travel through this life with Jesus, we too can have peace in this life. Even in the midst of the storms of this life we can have peace with Jesus.

Thank you for reading this and I hope it fosters a desire to study the word even more.

Life is Good

jk

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the first three of the four gospels in the New Testament and are often referred to as the “synoptic gospels”. This is because the gospels share many of the same stories, and sometimes in the same order, which means they can be “seen together” (A I)

The Parable of the sower appears in three books of the NT. Matthew, Mark, and Luke. First from Matthew 13:10-13

10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:

And in Mark 4:10-12  10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,

“They may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’’

Luke writes this… Luke 8:9-10…9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

‘though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.’

According to Matthew this is the first parable Jesus ever spoke. Rabbis always attracted a crowd. The people would follow them wherever they went searching out the little gems of wisdom they spoke of as they walked. This particular day Jesus was walking by the seaside and the crowd had grown so large He was being pushed into the sea. To continue on Jesus got in a boat and was then just a few feet from them but they continued to follow Him along the seashore. How many times over the years have we encountered this parable? Sermons, Sunday School lessons, different bible classes and references to different study guides.

One of the most interesting  theories about this parable is that Jesus often incorporates examples that people can picture in their mind from every day occurrences. Jesus sat down to speak…the custom of the day was that you stand to preach but sit to teach. So we picture Jesus, still in the boat, sitting down. Here is an example of Jesus using this very thing. In the parable of the sower it is very likely that Jesus’ view of the shore line and beyond at that very moment He could see the sower sowing in the fields up from the seashore. (Barclay, William; Barclay, William. “The Parables of Jesus”.) Jesus tells the story using the fact that there were different types of ground that the sower would be throwing seed on. Here again those listening would be able to visualize what Jesus was saying, thus better understanding the direction He was going. There were four different kinds of ground that are mentioned.

First, there was the wayside ground. They were long narrow strips that a man could cultivate, there was no fence or wall around the strip but between each of them ran a narrow ribbon of ground perhaps not much more than three feet across. These little narrow walkways provided a path that anyone could walk on…they were common right of ways. This presented a hard ground that was packed rock solid, no seed or even weed could penetrate the surface. This type of ground represented a closed mind.

Then there was the rocky ground. Palestine had many places where there was only a fine skin or layer of dirt over a shelf of limestone. The seed would take hold but over time would parish for lack of moisture and nourishment. Third there was the thorny ground. You might say its appearance was deceptive. It was without substance, as sometimes we allow our faith to be.

Third there was the thorny ground. You ever hear the expression “look at you…you sure clean up good.” Thorny ground occurred because it was easy enough to make the ground look good by just turning over the soil. But here is the catch…if you have let the weeds grow and go to seed, the seeds are still there in the earth and it is at this time they grow faster than the good seed and they will choke the very life of the good seed. As Christians we are Christs messengers. If we allow the weeds of life’s sins   to remain in our lives…even if we pretend they aren’t there…They will choke the very life out of our ministry and faith.

Fourth there was the good ground. This ground   was receptive enough to allow the seed to take root, clean enough to provide the moisture and nourishment needed to grow.

Consider this…A farmer knows that the every seed he sows won’t necessary take root and grow but he sows anyway. He knows there can be no harvest if he doesn’t. So the main lesson of this parable that even if the effort we make seems to produce little…There will still be a harvest.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the first three of the four gospels in the New Testament and are often referred to as the “synoptic gospels”. This is because the gospels share many of the same stories, and sometimes in the same order, which means they can be “seen together”Keep the Faith.

jk

As I grow older I have time to remember and forget…sometimes forgetting is the best way to go. I miss the porch but they keep telling me that rehab is the way to go…and I keep forgetting that. I remember the things that have taken place in my 81 years and I can’t forget those who gave so much to make it a great time to be alive. Consider this… I remember how hard my mother worked to make a home for me and my brothers and sisters. I remember my Dad and his love of country, he was career military, Air Force…enlisted in the old Army Air core served 30 years. We lived on military bases for most of my life…those that had dependent housing. There was never a whole lot of money but mother used the base grocery wisely but if we had to live off base it was not always easy for her to plan meals for the family. I remember as strange as it might sound how being on a military base was a great thing. 25 cent movies, free pool, gym and library and every now and again meeting my Dad at the base mess hall for lunch. They had the coldest best milk I have ever had, that milk machine was awesome and yes that ice cream machine was a wonder…hold the lever down and it just kept coming. I would like to forget the moves every few years, always the new kid on the block. Most kids formed life time friendships and the memories that come with those. While I am forgetting things I would like to forget the ordeal of never really being part of the community. Consider this…if there was no on base housing for dependents the military provided a housing allowance for off base quarters. People were not very nice to us. This was in the mid fifties…we were often, my brothers and sisters and I referred to as military brats. I believe that’s where that preverbal chip on my shoulder comes from. To continue on this forgetting path I never felt I belonged anywhere, kinda a man without a country if you will; the problem being I was just a kid. Then came Texas…Texas adopted me, actually I Adopted Texas. There I was welcomed as I was and judged by my actions…I could establish my own character. I worked hard to be known as a person who kept their word, told the truth and treated others as they treated me. You know what the biggest thing for me was?  When people asked where are you from…now instead of all over I was proud to sayTexas! Now I had a home, I was all of 14 years old. All these things I will remember but the most important thing today is I will never be alone or forgotten. My God is my anchor and when the time comes I will be going to my forever home.

Kurt

An interesting subject to consider that to a Christian has a different meaning than is often attached to it. Simple meaning is…confinement in a jail or prison : the act of imprisoning someone or the state of being imprisoned. For a christian it is the lack of faith or our sinful nature that makes us a prisoner to the evil and bad decisions of this life. We all will at one time or another experience a time in our lives when the situations of this life hold us prisoner to things we cannot control or opt to not control. It is an established fact that we, all of us, value our ability to do our own thing…it is a natural component of the human psyche. The other way of saying that is that our creator has granted us the ability to think for ourselves…we can say or write it much simpler… Free Will. Bottom line, it is up to us to determine the direction we will go in this life and mankind has demonstrated by past behaviors that we don’t always choose the right path. We find in the Bible, a map if you please…that will point the way to a better life, I have come to refer to it as “The Good Way”. None of us will ever be exempt from the temptations we will encounter in our life time. The Apostle Paul referred to himself as “a prisoner of Christ Jesus” during his time of house arrest in Rome…AD 60-62…Acts 28:30-31. He often in his letters used the term “Jesus Christ”. Also  According to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul and Silas were in Philippi, where they were arrested, flogged, and imprisoned for causing a public nuisance.

The reason The Pew has chosen this path at this time is really simple… there is a better path for those who chose wisely. I hope this blog influences you to seek that path…I call it “The GoodWay”and it is open to all who seek it… the book says  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Simple but to the point…  from the day we were created we were challenged to live a Godly life. Is that the answer to a good life? Yes, but we tend to misunderstand the full intent of such. There will always be things that make for bad times, hardships, illness and hurt and sorrow will challenge all of us…think of that old expression…thats life. God has given us a purpose in life and in Micah 6:8 we have a very simple charge… 

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

    And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

    and to walk humbly  with your God

The New Testament leaves no doubt as to the path that follows “The Good Way”.

John 14:6-76 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

As the church came into being many of those who had followed this “nazarene” would come to be called “people of the Way”. Old Testament writings put before the people the best of “The Good  Way”. 

Deuteronomy 31:8—The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Psalm 23:4—Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

We have a reason to trust and believe. No one thing or the devil himself can separate us from our God. The Good Way, seek it and follow it. 

Matthew 22:34-40 34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Life is Good

jk

I have shared with you in the past my love of the psalms and this we week return there for a little encouragement in a time when we all could use a little. Psalm 139 was not written for any special occasion but is a quick lesson in morality, again something needed in these days. It focuses on the wisdom, presence, providence, and justice of God. In the first part of this psalm we see God’s perfect knowledge, it is unique and cannot be copied and as we already know but it’s reaffirmed here that God is the maker of man. We often do not realize the bond that exists between ourselves and our God, it could not be anymore intense than expressed in this Psalm…139: 15-16

15 

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

16 

You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

Maybe it is a little out of character but I am awed that God is so attentive of me… like that song…  “You Are Always On My Mind… who am I O Lord, That you should be mindful of me Psalm 139:17-18 reads, “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you”. 

Consider what is written here and don’t pass over the significance of the words. God, the creator of all things has been with you before you were ever whole. God knows all about you, even from your inception. God was the superintendent of the formation of your body and herein it is made plain that for all time he will be there for you. There is so much here to be considered that I am just sharing with you in no particular order. God has full knowledge of us…God knows our very thoughts before we even think them. There is no place we can go that he is not there. He is in the truest sense omniscient, our God knows all, sees all and hears all. How strong is God’s love for us collectively? As believers we cannot be removed from the supporting,comforting presence of our God, as a group or as an individual. Even death and the grave cannot separate our body from the love of the Savior, who will raise it a glorious body. No outward circumstances can separate us from our Lord. As believers we strengthen this bond by the exercise of faith, hope, and prayer.

As I close out this blog I Urge you to be mindful of the many mercies from our very first breath we have received from our God. We may also be sure there will be more in the time allotted to us in this life. We were wonderfully crafted by our God to do good to all and to love and care for this creation he has made for us. We can only do this by not yielding to our sinful natures. Find the good way, walk on its path…for it is pleasing to God.

Life is Good

jk

I have reached the Age of “Remember When?”  Try these… I may not get the spelling right, here are a few.

Nehi- is a flavored soft drink that originated in the United States. It was introduced in 1924. There were 3 or 4 flavors, my favorite was Grape.

Root Beer is traditionally made using the root bark of the sassafras tree Sassafras albidum or the vine of Smilax ornata (known as sarsaparilla; also used to make a soft drink called sarsaparilla) as the primary flavor. Remember Root Beer Floats?

RC Cola  Established 1905.  RC Cola (short for Royal Crown Cola is a cola-flavored carbonated beverage owned in the United States by Keurig Dr Pepper and internationally by RC Global Beverages, Inc. Back in the day some folks enjoyed pouring salted peanuts in the bottle with the cola. Another combo was a cold RC and a Moon Pie. 

Here is one not everyone would remember.  Mad Magazine is an American humor magazine first published in 1952. It was founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines, launched as a comic book series before it became a magazine.

Candy Cigarettes  Candy cigarettes are a candy introduced in the late 19th century^[1] made out of chalky sugar, bubblegum or chocolate, wrapped in paper and packaged and branded so as to resemble cigarettes. Even back in the day they were the cause of controversy, there were those that felt it would attract kids to smoke.

The older you get it seems like every conversation will contain the “remember when” phrase, it is a natural fit. What is your “Remember When” moment?

This Sunday the church will celebrate the Ascension of Jesus Christ considered to be one of the most meaningful events of the church calendar. For me there is one constant that we find in the Bible, from Genesis to the last word and period in Revelations. God has always been in control. Order, arrangement, purpose are foremost in the narrative. Read the first Chapter of Genesis, each step of the creation has a purpose…preparing the way for the next step. Every event in the Bible is the result of God. Let’s explore why the Accession is so meaningful.

A… it marked the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The son returning to the Father, no longer restricted by earthy bonds.

B… It was a sign that he had done all he had come to do…He was successful in His ministry.

 C… Christ had surrendered his heavenly glory during his time of earthly ministry with the exception of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17-1-9. Now his Heavenly Glory will once again be visible a sign of His Father in heaven being well pleased with His son. Jesus was revived in honor and a name above all names. (Philippians 2:9)

D…The Ascension allowed Him to prepare a place for us. 

E…It indicated the beginning of His new work as High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16) and Mediator of the New Covenant (Hebrews 9:15).

F…We can look for Jesus to return just as He left, bodily, and visibly in the clouds. (Revelation 1:7).

Here are some scriptures that help us to understand the magnitude of this event, as listed in Got Questions

(Matthew 28:9-10),   (Luke 24:36-43), (1 Corinthians 15:6). In the days following His resurrection, Jesus taught His disciples about the kingdom of God (Matthew 28:9-10), to His disciples (Luke 24:36-43), and to more than 500 others (1 Corinthians 15:6). In the days following His resurrection, Jesus taught His disciples about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).     

Our United Methodist Hymnal contains a Charles Wesley hymn titled “Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise” (312). The lyrics for this hymn, an adaptation of Charles’s “Hymn for Ascension-Day” published in Hymns and Sacred Poems (1739), offer insight into the importance of this day. The Ascension as both the ending of Jesus’s physical presence on Earth and his return to his rightful place in heaven.

“Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise”Hail the day that sees him rise,

1. Christ awhile to mortals given
2. Re-ascends his native heaven
3. There the glorious triumph waits
4. Lift your heads, eternal gates,
5. Christ hath conquered death and sin
6. Take the King of glory in
7. See! The heaven its Lord receives
8. Yet he loves the earth he leaves
9. Though returning to his throne
10. Still he calls the world his own
11. See! He lifts his hands above
12. See! He shows the prints of love
13. Hark! his gracious lips bestow
14. Blessings on his church below.  

Life is Good

jk

It is called a Rehab and Nursing  facility…It is really an exercise in controlled chaos. I have been here five days and I think chaos is winning. Of more than 55.8 million elderly adults in the U.S. (65 or older), 1.3 million live in nursing homes, representing 2.3% of the elderly population. An additional 818,800 elderly Americans reside in assisted living facilities.Sep 13, 2023. (A Place for Mom)

The facility I am at serves two segments of this particular population, those needing extensive care and those like me who are here to rehab and get back to as close as they were before we came into this place and I am blessed to be in the second group. There is another group that are as close as you can come to… Earthly Angels, which reminds me of that Alabama classic, “Angels Among Us.”

“Oh, I believe there are angels among us

Sent down to us from somewhere up above

They come to you and me in our darkest hours

To show us how to live, to teach us how to give

To guide us with the light of love”

When you lose the ability to do the very basics that allow you to take care of yourself, unless you have been there it is hard to understand the effect it has when you realize you are no longer in charge of the simplest things of life that you take for granted every day. In my short time here in rehab I have discovered that I have been blessed by their presence. I have been among the angels these last five days…  “They come to you and me in our darkest hours”. They are the light in the darkness.

Kurt

I have in past blogs referred to a habit or practice which I have named “surface read” being nothing more than skimming over the chapter or verses which for those of us that read our bible often do, which creates a false sense of understanding. This week we take a look at the churches celebration of Pentecost, an in-depth look…going beyond the words so to speak. In the Revised Common Lectionary, the Gospel reading for Pentecost Sunday is always from the Gospel of John. Following is just another bit of information that I read in preparing for this blog. Homiletics is the application of the general principles of speaking or writing to convey or teach. I like the tail end of this when the writer simply writes “One who practices or studies homiletics may be called a homilist, or more simply, a preacher. Don’t know if this is of any value to this blog…just thought I would share this with you. Pentecost is the time I often refer to as the end of Jesus’ ministry on this earth and the introduction of the “helper” soon to come, thus “The Beginning of the End…” But those of us of the faith know that this is the beginning of the rest of the story.

The beginning of the rest of the story starts here for me. So let’s break it down…Pentecost John 15:26-27… 26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning. 

In the previous verses 15:26-27 the disciples realize that Jesus is about to leave them and at this point we then move to chapter 16. 16:1-4 Jesus speaks of the persecutions they will endure and Foretells his death, and promises them the Comforter, (verses 5-7.) Here they are introduced to the coming of Holy Spirit, also referred to as the Comforter. Jesus from the beginning of his ministry had told the disciples that to follow him would not be easy, there would be hard times ahead. Jesus knew this before hand and he did not want his disciples or anyone to be able to say that they had not known what to expect when they became a Christian. John as he was writing this knew that by this time many early Christians were falling away from the faith. Jesus shared with them that a time would come when people would kill them and consider such an act as rendering a service to God when they killed his followers. As you read through these first four verses consider this. Jesus offered, and still offers, not the way of ease but the way of glory. He wants men and women who are prepared with open eyes to venture out for his name. In these next verses 5-11 Barclay writes we have an almost perfect summary of the work of the Spirit. It just so happens that the word used to describe the work of the Spirit translates to mean convince. There is more detail to this which we will pass on but for now I leave this one thing for you to consider. When we are able to recognize our own sin it is usually the result of our being convinced of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is the cross of Christ, our salvation thru the blood of Christ that we are saved from the judgement to come. This is the work of the Holy Spirit through which we are convicted of our sins and because of Him we are convinced of our salvation.

We close out this week’s blog reading from John 16:12-15… ‘I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of Truth has come, he will lead you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own authority and out of his own knowledge, but he will speak all that he will hear, and he will tell you of the things to come. He will glorify me, for he will take of the things which belong to me, and will tell you of them. All things that the Father has are mine. That is why I said that the Spirit will take of the things which belong to me, and tell them to you.’

To sum up…this these two verses in chapter 15 and those that follow in chapter 16-1-15 are considered by some people to bring to us God’s Truth…it could also be called a revelation. It brings us to the understanding that this comes to us not from any book or creed, but from a living person. Pentecost is special because it marks the start of our finial journey to our salvation and our savior Jesus Christ.

We are writing this from the rehab facility so please understand there may be some mistakes. Remember that CCR song during the war in Nam…well that is my song now… “We Gotta Get Out Of Here” Ditto!!

Life is Good

jk

Well I am not on the porch this week, I am in the hospital. Surgery did not go as planed…rehab is late getting started and I am having to go to a rehab center for at least 2 weeks. Getting old requires learning to adapt and the last year has been a time of adapting and I am running out of patience. Loss of mobility and the fact you are no longer in charge can bring home reality. Well…nuff said about that.

My hospital room was nice and it had a large window with this big tree sitting right in the middle of it and that is my pondering point this week. The best I can figure when they built this place they left some of the trees standing. It is an old tree and as I ponder over it which clearly has an appearance that shows the wear of time I’m on the fourth floor and that tree goes well above the window. It also sits close to the building which leads me to believe it was indeed one of the trees the construction people let stand, the building here is not that old, thus the the size of the tree, its proximity to it speaks to its age. Been around awhile…just like me. Some of the bigger branches have a tree bark fungus common in older trees. The tree does not stand straight and tall, a testament to the years gone by. It still produces a decent green foliage and there are occasional new smaller branches, which tells me this old tree is not done yet. Had a pretty bad storm last night  and from my bed I watched that tree twist and bend in the wind while being pelted by a hard rain. As I sat and watched I pondered just how much that old tree and me had in common. We have seen the old over run by new, we have seen and been through some storms, yet we still stand a bit stooped and tested but like that green foliage, we have hope which shows we aren’t done yet.

Kurt