During this time of the year when we celebrate Pesach (Passover) or Resurrection Sunday (I rarely refer to it by that other term),one of the attitudes we should be having is gratefulness. According to http://www.dictonary.reference.com/ the word grateful means: "warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful" and when I think of a kindness received, I think of Pesach (Passover) 2008.....
It had been a month since my appendix had burst and I was NPO (hospital terminology meaning nothing by mouth-in short, I could neither eat or drink), and my midsection was a big open wound, so there was definitely no way I was going to be able to attend the annual CBS seder, which was tragic (since I love the fellowship and the celebration), but there was a couple-James and Elise Hubbard, who came to my hospital room, on the night before the seder and we had a celebration of the Seder nevertheless....
Now remember I couldn't eat the food, but that was not the issue, the issue was that someone cared enough to come and visit me and because of that it brought joy to me in that hospital bed.
There is an old saying "A joy shared is a double joy, A sorrow shared is half a sorrow", you want to double your joy and gratefulness this season? I recommend visiting a friend in a hospital who won't be able to share in the joy of the season, help out a family who has a family member hospitalized by maybe cooking a meal for them or being a shoulder to cry on....you never know...through your help you may be fulfilling the words spoken by Yeshua in Matthew 25:
31"When the Son of Man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory.
32And before Him shall be gathered all nations, and He shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.
33And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, `Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35For I hungered, and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took Me in;
36naked, and ye clothed Me; I was sick, and ye visited Me; I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.'
37Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, `Lord, when saw we Thee hungering and fed Thee, or thirsty and gave Thee drink?
38When saw we Thee a stranger and took Thee in, or naked and clothed Thee?
39Or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee?'
40And the King shall answer and say unto them, `Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.'
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Pesach
Tomorrow night at sunset the feast of Pesach (known as Passover) begins. This is the celebration of the deliverance of the people of Egypt from Pharaoh. The importance of this feast is shown in the fact that it is one of three "pilgrim" feasts in which every Jew was required to come to Jerusalem to celebrate this occasion.
There are a great many things that can be taught (and learned) from Pesach (which was celebrated by Yeshua (Jesus). But I just want to start with one....
For me, this year's Seder (literally "order", but referring here to the ordered ceremony and meal that usher in the week of Pesach-Jewish New Testament Commentary, David H. Stern; p. 78), which takes place at my uncle's house will be a great privilege for me to attend. One of the great themes of Pesach is freedom, freedom from Pharaoh, freedom from sin, etc... In my case the freedom that I will have and the reason that this year's Seder will mean so much is because it will be the first time since 2007 that I will be able to celebrate the Seder without having to worry about any medical problems. In 2008, I was in the hospital and not able to eat (so I was not able to have any of items of the Seder). And in 2009, I had to worry about problems with my bag, so I was not able to celebrate fully the joy of Pesach.
But now I am free from those worries, and able to celebrate the full meaning of the freedom that I have been given, freedom from worries about health, freedom from fear of the unknown, freedom from shame, and a great many other things. And that freedom was not given to me cheaply. It cost my Father in Heaven the life of His Son to give me these freedoms. I just pray that as I celebrate tomorrow that I can truly begin to appreciate what He has done for me and for all those who are His.
There are a great many things that can be taught (and learned) from Pesach (which was celebrated by Yeshua (Jesus). But I just want to start with one....
For me, this year's Seder (literally "order", but referring here to the ordered ceremony and meal that usher in the week of Pesach-Jewish New Testament Commentary, David H. Stern; p. 78), which takes place at my uncle's house will be a great privilege for me to attend. One of the great themes of Pesach is freedom, freedom from Pharaoh, freedom from sin, etc... In my case the freedom that I will have and the reason that this year's Seder will mean so much is because it will be the first time since 2007 that I will be able to celebrate the Seder without having to worry about any medical problems. In 2008, I was in the hospital and not able to eat (so I was not able to have any of items of the Seder). And in 2009, I had to worry about problems with my bag, so I was not able to celebrate fully the joy of Pesach.
But now I am free from those worries, and able to celebrate the full meaning of the freedom that I have been given, freedom from worries about health, freedom from fear of the unknown, freedom from shame, and a great many other things. And that freedom was not given to me cheaply. It cost my Father in Heaven the life of His Son to give me these freedoms. I just pray that as I celebrate tomorrow that I can truly begin to appreciate what He has done for me and for all those who are His.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Diabetes Awareness Day
One of the things that I found out before my appendix burst was that I had Type 2 Diabetes...so I am encouraging all of you who even glance at this blog to check to see if you might be at risk...If what I had to go through can keep one person from pain and suffering then, it is worth it....
Monday, March 22, 2010
yelping of a dog....
I'm listening and I'm hearing "our three little girls" (i.e.-our dogs Sunny, Dot and Brownie), whimpering and then I hear the sound of my Dad telling them to be quiet (one of the more irritating habits of other people in the house-but that's another story). The reason I think that it is irritating is that they are communicating a need and can think of no other way to express it.
I think now of the days when I was in the hospital, when I,or a family member, or a visitor would come and communicate the needs that we had on our heart. Whether it was healing, finances or whatever, there was no other way for us to express our need than prayer.
The thing was that I am glad that God did not tell us to be quiet; as a matter of fact; He encourages us to pray to Him, as a matter of fact I love how Chuck Swindoll paraphrased 1 Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray with the frequency of a hacking cough". And I think of the words of the song "Let Us Pray" by Steven Curtis Chapman:
I hear you say your heart is aching
You've got trouble in the making
And you ask if I'll be praying for you please
And in keeping with conviction
I'll say yes with good intentions
To pray later making mention of your needs
But since we have this moment here at heaven's door
We should start knocking now, what are we waiting for?
CHORUS:
Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
For the Father above, He is listening with love
And He wants to answer us, so let us pray
So when we feel the Spirit moving
Prompting, prodding and behooving
There is no time to be losing, let us pray
Let the Father hear us saying
What we need to be conveying
Even while this song is playing, let us pray
And just because we say the word, "Amen"
It doesn't mean this conversationi needs to end
Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
Let us pray without end and when we finish start again
Like breathing out and breathing in, let us pray
Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence
As our prayers draw us near
To the One who knows our needs
Before we even call His name
Let us pray everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
Let us pray without end and when we finish start again
Like breathing out and breathing in, let us pray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HNQl0a4Zcs&feature=PlayList&p=4BAE7FE8F26C32A8&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=17
so if you've got a need that you need to communicate, feel free to express that need and be glad that you don't have a Father that tells us to be quiet!
I think now of the days when I was in the hospital, when I,or a family member, or a visitor would come and communicate the needs that we had on our heart. Whether it was healing, finances or whatever, there was no other way for us to express our need than prayer.
The thing was that I am glad that God did not tell us to be quiet; as a matter of fact; He encourages us to pray to Him, as a matter of fact I love how Chuck Swindoll paraphrased 1 Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray with the frequency of a hacking cough". And I think of the words of the song "Let Us Pray" by Steven Curtis Chapman:
I hear you say your heart is aching
You've got trouble in the making
And you ask if I'll be praying for you please
And in keeping with conviction
I'll say yes with good intentions
To pray later making mention of your needs
But since we have this moment here at heaven's door
We should start knocking now, what are we waiting for?
CHORUS:
Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
For the Father above, He is listening with love
And He wants to answer us, so let us pray
So when we feel the Spirit moving
Prompting, prodding and behooving
There is no time to be losing, let us pray
Let the Father hear us saying
What we need to be conveying
Even while this song is playing, let us pray
And just because we say the word, "Amen"
It doesn't mean this conversationi needs to end
Let us pray, let us pray, everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
Let us pray without end and when we finish start again
Like breathing out and breathing in, let us pray
Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence
As our prayers draw us near
To the One who knows our needs
Before we even call His name
Let us pray everywhere in every way
Every moment of the day, it is the right time
Let us pray without end and when we finish start again
Like breathing out and breathing in, let us pray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HNQl0a4Zcs&feature=PlayList&p=4BAE7FE8F26C32A8&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=17
so if you've got a need that you need to communicate, feel free to express that need and be glad that you don't have a Father that tells us to be quiet!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
letter to the Editor
This doesn't have anything to do with my healing...but it has to do with something else that is close to my heart-the nation of Israel....I read a letter in the San Antonio Express-News "Your Turn saying that the US should cut off aid to Israel because they wanted to build houses on land that is theirs to begin with...so I sent the following in response (whether or not the SAEN will print it out is another matter altogether)....
Carl D. Scott in his letter (Your Turn-March 17, 2010-'Cut aid to Israel') called the Israeli announcement about settlements an "affront to the United States and Vice-President Biden." The affront is the arrogance of some to say to a foreign nation (last time I checked Israel was not one of the United States) what it can and cannot do with its own land. The nation of Israel is not a child to be spoken down to and told what it can and cannot do. The policies of the United States and the United Nations have done nothing but shackle Israel-How would Mr. Scott feel if the Israeli government told him that he could not dig in his garden unless he received approval from them? And if he did dig, that the government would cut off funding to his country because of it. I think that Mr. Scott would say that it was his garden and he would do with it what he pleases, no matter what others may say.
Well then the same logic should apply in reference to a sovereign nation that is struggling for its existence against enemies and trying to take care of the needs of its own people. If I remember correctly, the United States did not have governments or a world body telling it what it could do or not do with the land that we had. So why then are we doing to other nations that which we would not have done to ourselves. What is the motive of our government and the United Nations in telling Israel what to do? It is to promote true peace or to keep a nation weak and defenseless so that it can be picked upon and wiped off the face of the earth?
Sincerely,
Edward Lozano
Carl D. Scott in his letter (Your Turn-March 17, 2010-'Cut aid to Israel') called the Israeli announcement about settlements an "affront to the United States and Vice-President Biden." The affront is the arrogance of some to say to a foreign nation (last time I checked Israel was not one of the United States) what it can and cannot do with its own land. The nation of Israel is not a child to be spoken down to and told what it can and cannot do. The policies of the United States and the United Nations have done nothing but shackle Israel-How would Mr. Scott feel if the Israeli government told him that he could not dig in his garden unless he received approval from them? And if he did dig, that the government would cut off funding to his country because of it. I think that Mr. Scott would say that it was his garden and he would do with it what he pleases, no matter what others may say.
Well then the same logic should apply in reference to a sovereign nation that is struggling for its existence against enemies and trying to take care of the needs of its own people. If I remember correctly, the United States did not have governments or a world body telling it what it could do or not do with the land that we had. So why then are we doing to other nations that which we would not have done to ourselves. What is the motive of our government and the United Nations in telling Israel what to do? It is to promote true peace or to keep a nation weak and defenseless so that it can be picked upon and wiped off the face of the earth?
Sincerely,
Edward Lozano
Monday, March 15, 2010
Two years of the journey
On Saturday, I had an "anniversary" of sorts...it was two years ago when my appendix burst and put me thisclose to passing into the Lord's presence. My congregational leader Randy Shapiro has a quote that I love hearing about God, that "He sees the end from the beginning." Sometimes though, he allows the path to be hidden. The reason that He does so, in my very humble opinion, is in the joy, experiences, and other things that happen on the journey from beginning to end.
Michael Card in his song "Joy in the Journey" puts it like this:
There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey
And all those who seek it
Shall find it (Proverbs 8:17)
A pardon for all who believe
Hope for the hopeless
And sight for the blind (Isaiah 42:7)
I think that the reason that God allowed me to go on the journey was to strengthen me to help others, to strengthen my faith in Him, to remind me of who He is, who I am, how people are, to remind me of the love of my family (physical and spiritual) and a great many other things. That is why I decided to start a blog-to share what has happened/what is happening on this journey and to share a little of what has been given to me.
Michael Card in his song "Joy in the Journey" puts it like this:
There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
And freedom for those who obey
And all those who seek it
Shall find it (Proverbs 8:17)
A pardon for all who believe
Hope for the hopeless
And sight for the blind (Isaiah 42:7)
I think that the reason that God allowed me to go on the journey was to strengthen me to help others, to strengthen my faith in Him, to remind me of who He is, who I am, how people are, to remind me of the love of my family (physical and spiritual) and a great many other things. That is why I decided to start a blog-to share what has happened/what is happening on this journey and to share a little of what has been given to me.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
my tree of faith
On Saturday, I went to go visit my nephew in Houston. While we were there we went on the "Azalea trail", which was a tour of several houses that had flowers in bloom. But when I saw one tree, it reminded me of the writings that Vanya had written about in her letters....
To see life coming from lifelessness and know that God has His hand on it to show it as a display of what He can do...that He can overcome anything and make it brand new. The question for us as believers is-How often do we remember that He has overcome anything? We should remember what Rav Shaul (Paul) wrote in Romans 8:38-39 (Complete Jewish Bible)[notations mine]:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or other heavenly rulers, neither what exists (present) nor what is coming (future), neither powers above nor powers below, nor any created thing (and everything is created in one way or another)will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.
and what it says in Hebrews 13:8-
Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Right now, I am going through a time of aimlessness with my work situation, but with faith, I can see that the same Lord who brought me out of the shadows of death, can certainly bring me through the shadows of unemployment (Thank you Bruce, for reminding me to remind myself). And He can do it in such a way as to bring life and testimony out of lifelessness.
P.S.-while I am writing this, I am asking prayer for a couple of friends of mine.
To see life coming from lifelessness and know that God has His hand on it to show it as a display of what He can do...that He can overcome anything and make it brand new. The question for us as believers is-How often do we remember that He has overcome anything? We should remember what Rav Shaul (Paul) wrote in Romans 8:38-39 (Complete Jewish Bible)[notations mine]:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or other heavenly rulers, neither what exists (present) nor what is coming (future), neither powers above nor powers below, nor any created thing (and everything is created in one way or another)will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.
and what it says in Hebrews 13:8-
Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Right now, I am going through a time of aimlessness with my work situation, but with faith, I can see that the same Lord who brought me out of the shadows of death, can certainly bring me through the shadows of unemployment (Thank you Bruce, for reminding me to remind myself). And He can do it in such a way as to bring life and testimony out of lifelessness.
P.S.-while I am writing this, I am asking prayer for a couple of friends of mine.
- Chad Elliott-a good friend of mine; I found out from his wife Kat that he is in the hospital with acute pancreatitis.It looks like he will be in the hospital until Thursday with about a 2 week recovery period. Pray that his time in the hospital will be one where he is ministered to and that the physicians and those attending him will take good care of him. and pray that the recovery period will be "speeded up" (if the Lord allows) and that everything is taken care of.
- Jeannette De La Paz-just recently went through surgery for cancer and it appears that everything went great. Pray that she will recover quickly from the surgery, that she continue to be blessed by her friends and her CBS family. And that everything was removed and that she will be able to use this as a testimony of the healing power of Adonai Rapha (the Lord who heals).
Thursday, March 4, 2010
great joke
I got this from WND (WorldNetDaily) and had to laugh; because it reminded me of some of the bills that I got.....
Posted: March 02, 2010
8:49 pm Eastern
JOKE OF THE DAY
WorldNetDaily
Just ducky
Health-care scam
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest.
After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm sorry, your duck, Cuddles, has passed away."
The distressed woman wailed, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure. The duck is dead," replied the vet.
"How can you be so sure?" she protested. "I mean you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."
The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room.
He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.
The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room.
A few minutes later he returned with a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.
The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely a 100 percent certifiably dead duck." The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.
The duck's owner, still in shock, looked at the bill.
"$150!" she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead!"
The vet shrugged, "I'm sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab report and the cat scan, it's now $150."
Posted: March 02, 2010
8:49 pm Eastern
JOKE OF THE DAY
WorldNetDaily
Just ducky
Health-care scam
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest.
After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm sorry, your duck, Cuddles, has passed away."
The distressed woman wailed, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure. The duck is dead," replied the vet.
"How can you be so sure?" she protested. "I mean you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."
The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room.
He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.
The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room.
A few minutes later he returned with a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.
The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely a 100 percent certifiably dead duck." The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.
The duck's owner, still in shock, looked at the bill.
"$150!" she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead!"
The vet shrugged, "I'm sorry. If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab report and the cat scan, it's now $150."
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