In or Out?

Pentax Optio S50

"You will then say to them: Thus says Yahweh: I am about to withdraw the Israelites from where they were among the nations. I shall gather them from all around and bring them back to their land. I shall make them into one people on the mountains of Israel and one king is to be king of them all. They will no longer from two nations or be two separate kingdoms, nor will they defile themselves again with their idols, their detestable practices and their sins. I shall free them from the guilt of their treachery; I shall cleanse them and they will be for me a people and I shall be God for them. My servant David will reign over them, one shepherd for all. They will live according to my laws and follow and practice my decrees. They will settle in the land I gave to my servant Jacob where their forefathers lived. There they will live forever, their children and their children's children. David my servant will be their prince forever.

"I shall establish a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I shall settle them and they will increase and I shall put my sanctuary in their midst forever. I shall make my home at their side; I shall be their God and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh who makes Israel holy, having my sanctuary among them forever."

EZEKIEL 37:21-28

"Lord Jesus, make straight the hearts that are confused."

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Throwing Rocks

Pentax Optio S50

"The Jews then picked up stones to throw at him; so Jesus said, 'I have openly done many good works among you which the Father gave me to do. For which of these do you stone me?'

"The Jews answered, 'We are not stoning you for doing a good work but for insulting God; you are only a man and you make yourself God.'

"Then Jesus replied, 'Is this not written in your Law: I said: you are gods? So those who received this word of God were called gods and the Scripture is always true. Then what should be said of the one anointed and sent into the world by the Father? Am I insulting God when I say: "I am the Son of God"?

"'If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do them, even if you have no faith in me, believe because of the works I do, and know that the Father is in me and I in the Father.'

"Again they tried to arrest him, but Jesus escaped from their hands. He went away again to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John had baptized, and there he stayed.

"Many people came to him and said, 'John showed no miraculous signs, but he spoke of this man and everything he said was true.' And many became believers in that place."

JOHN 10:31-42

"Lord, please help me to restrain myself from throwing rocks
--at Jesus, at other people, at myself."

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Keeping The Faith

"Abram fell face down and God said to him, 'This is my covenant with you: you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer will you be called Abram, but Abraham, because I will make you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you more and more famous; I will multiply your descendants; nations shall sprint from you, kings shall be among your descendants. And I will establish a covenant, an everlasting covenant between myself and you and your descendants after you; from now on I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you, for generation to come. I will give to you and your descendants after you the land you are living in, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession and I will be the God of your race.'

"God said to Abraham, 'For your part, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you, generation after generation.'"

GENESIS 17:3-9

"May I not neglect to do my part and run the race."

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Big Mistake

Pentax Optio S50

"Jesus went on to say to the Jews who believed in him: 'You will be my true disciples if you keep my word. Then you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.' They answered him, 'We are the descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves of anyone. What do you mean by saying: You will be free?'

"Jesus answered them, 'Truly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a salve. But the slave doesn't stay in the house forever; the son stays forever. So, if the Son makes you free, you will be really free.

"I know that you are the descendants of Abraham; yet you want to kill me because my word finds no place in you. For my part I speak of what I have seen in the Father's presence, but you do what you have learned from your father.'

"They answered him, 'Our father is Abraham.' Then Jesus said, 'If you were Abraham's children, you would do as Abraham did. But now you want to kill me, the one who tells you the truth--the truth that I have learned from God. That is now what Abraham did; what you are doing are the works of your father.'

"The Jews said to him, 'We are not illegitimate children; we have one Father, God.' Jesus replied, 'If God were your Father you would love me, for I came forth from God, and I am here. And I didn't come by my own decision, but it was he himself who sent me."

JOHN 8:31-42

"Help me learn to forgive myself more easily,
because I know that You have forgiven me and set me free."

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Count Your Blessings

From various websites

"From Mount Hor they set out by the Red Sea road to go around the land of Edom. The people were discouraged by the journey and began to complain against God and Moses, 'Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is neither bread nor water here and we are disgusted with this tasteless manna.'

"Yahweh then sent fiery serpents against them. They bit the people and many of the Israelites died. Then the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, speaking against Yahweh and against you. Plead with Yahweh to take the serpents away.'

"Moses pleaded for the people and Yahweh said to him, 'Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard; whoever has been bitten and then looks at it shall live.'

"So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a standard. Whenever a man was bitten, he looked towards the bronze serpent and lived."

NUMBERS 21:4-9

"For the times we grumble and fail to praise You, forgive us."

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Friends?

Canon EOS 350D, f/5.6, 1/100 sec

"And never will the blood of bulls and goats take away these sins.

"This is why on entering the world, Christ says: You did not desire sacrifice and offering; you were not pleased with burnt offerings and sin offerings. Then I said: 'Here I am. It was written of me in the scroll. I will do your will, O God.'

"First he says: Sacrifice, offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire nor were you pleased with them--although they were required by the Law. Then he says: Here I am to do your will.

"This is enough to nullify the first will and establish the new. Now, by this will of God, we are sanctified at once by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ."

HEBREWS 10:4-10

"For the times that I failed to show support and instead judged,
forgive me, Lord."

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Starting Over

Canon EOS 350D, f/2.5, 1/200 sec

"Thus says Yahweh,
who opened a way through the sea
and a path in the mighty waters,
who brought down chariots and horses,
a whole army of them,
and there they lay, never to rise again,
snuffed out like a wick.
But do not dwell on the past,
or remember the things of old.
Look, I am doing a new song:
now it springs forth.
Do you not see?
I am opening up a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
The beasts of the land will honor me,
jackals and ostriches,
because I give water in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert
that my chosen people may drink.
I have formed this people for myself;
they will proclaim my praise."

ISAIAH 43:16-21

"Lord, heal me and embrace everything about me.
Help me see that my past does not define me.
Let me see that Your love will embrace and
restore all that is broken in me."

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Listen

Pentax Optio S50

"Yahweh made it known to me and so I know! And you let me see their scheming. 'Take care, even your own brothers and family are false with you and behind your back they freely criticize you. Do not trust them when they approach you in a friendly way.'

"But it was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter. I did not know it was against me that they were plotting, 'Let us feed him with trials and remove him from the land of the living and let his name never be mentioned again.'

"Yahweh, God of hosts, you who judge with justice and know everyone in his heart and in his intentions, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have entrusted my cause."

JEREMIAH 11:18-20

"Thank You for speaking to my heart,
for helping me guide others."

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Town Fiestas

Pentax Optio S50

"After this Jesus went around Galilee; he would not go about in Judea because the Jews wanted to kill him. Now the Jewish feast of the Tents was at hand.

"But after his brothers had gone to the festival, he also went up, not publicly but in secret.

"Some of the people of Jerusalem said, 'Is this not the man they want to kill? And here he is speaking freely, and they don't say a word to him? Can it be that the rulers know that this is really the Christ? Yet we know where this man comes from; but when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.'

"So Jesus announced in a loud voice in the Temple court where he was teaching, 'You say that you know me and know where I come from! I have not come of myself; I was sent by the One who is true, and you don't know him. I know him for I come from him and he sent me.'

"They would have arrested him, but no one laid hands on him because his time had not yet come."

JOHN 7:1-2,10,25-30

"Thank You, Lord, for giving us examples to emulate."

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Like Moses

From www.spraypaintstencils.com

"Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned from the way I commanded them and have made for themselves a molten calf; they have bowed down before it and sacrificed to it and said: "These are your gods, Israel, who brought you out of Egypt."'

"And Yahweh said to Moses, 'I see that these people are a stiff-necked people. Now just leave me that my anger may blaze against them. I will destroy them, but of you I will make a great nation.'

"But Moses calmed the anger of Yahweh, his God, and said, 'Why, O Yahweh, should your anger burst against your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with such great power and with a mighty hand? Let not the Egyptians say: "Yahweh brought them out with evil intent, for he wanted to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth." Turn away from the heat of your anger and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the promise you yourself swore: I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land I spoke about I will give to them as an everlasting inheritance.'

"Yahweh then changed his mind and would not yet harm his people."

EXODUS 32:7-14

"Teach me, Lord,
to be like Moses in leadership and authority and love."

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Never Forget

"This is what Yahweh says:

"'At a favorable time I have answered you, on the day of salvation I have been your help; I have formed you and made you to be my covenant with the people.

"'You will restore the land, and allot its abandoned farms. You will say to the captives: Come out; and to those in darkness: Show yourselves.

"'They will feed along the road; they will find pasture on barren hills. They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the scorching wind or the sun beat upon them; for he who has mercy on them will guide them and lead them to springs of water.

"'I will turn all my mountains into roads and raise up my highways.

"'See, they come from afar, some from the north and west, others from the land of Sinim.'

"Sing, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth;
break forth into song, O mountains;
for Yahweh has comforted his people
and taken pity on those who are afflicted.

"But Zion said: 'Yahweh has forsaken me,
my Lord has forgotten me.'
Can a woman forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child of her womb?
Yet though she forget, I will never forget you."

ISAIAH 49:8-15

"Hopy Spirit, remind me always of God's promises to me."

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Spiritual Diet

"After this there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now, by the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem, there is a pool (called Bethzatha in Hebrew) surrounded by five galleries. In these galleries lay a multitude of sick people--blind, lame and paralyzed.

"There was a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus saw him, and since he knew how long this man had been lying there, he said to him, 'Do you want to be healed?' And the sick man answered, 'Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; so while I am still on my way, another steps down before me.'

"Jesus then said to him, 'Stand up, take your mat and walk.' And at once the man was healed, and he took up his mat and walked.

"Now that day happened to be the sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had just been healed, 'It is the sabbath and the Law doesn't allow you to carry your mat.' He answered them, 'The one who healed me said to me: Take up your mat and walk.' They asked him, 'Who is the one who said to you: Take up your mat and walk?' But the sick man had no idea who it was who had cured him, for Jesus had slipped away among the crowd that filled the place.

"Afterwards Jesus met him in the Temple court and told him, 'Now you are well; don't sin again, lest something worse happen to you.' And the man went back and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. So the Jews persecuted Jesus because he performed healings like that on the sabbath."

JOHN 5:1-3,5-16

"Dear Lord, be with me in the midst of temptation,
and grant me the courage I need to resist it."

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Radical Yes

"Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus who is called the Christ--the Messiah.

"This is how Jesus Christ was born. Mary his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

"Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.

"While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him "Jesus" for he will save his people from their sins.'

"When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do and he took his wife to his home."

MATTHEW 1:16,18-21,24

"You judge because You have the right to.
Remind me, Lord, not to judge because I am not worthy."

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New Creation

From www.viarosa.com

"Meanwhile tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what he had to say. But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, muttering. 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.' So Jesus told them this parable:

"Jesus continued, 'There was a man with two sons. The younger said to his father: "Give me my share of the estate." So the father divided his property between them.

"'Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off for a distant land where he squandered his wealth in loose living. having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe famine broke out in that land. So he haired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place and was sent to work on a pig farm. So famished was he that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but no one offered him anything.

"'Finally coming to his senses, he said: "How many of my father's hired workers have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants." With that thought in mind he set off for his father's house.

"'He was still a long way off when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. The son said: "Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son..."

"'But the father turned to his servants: "Quick! Bring out the finest robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and kill it. We shall celebrate and have a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and is found." And the celebration began.

"'Meanwhile, the elder son had been working in the fields. As he returned and was near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what it was all about. The servant answered: "Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father is so happy about it that he has ordered this celebration and killed the fattened calf."

"'The elder son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him. The indignant son said: "Look, I have slaved for you all these years. Never have I disobeyed your orders. Yet you have never given me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. Then when this son of yours return after squandering your property with loose women, you kill the fattened calf for him."

"'The father said: "My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But this brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life. He was lost and is found. And for that we had to rejoice and be glad."'"

LUKE 15:1-3,11-32

"From the pits You rescued me.
From the heights that you have brought me I praise You."

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Correspondent

"Come, let us return to Yahweh,
He who shattered us to pieces, will heal us as well;
he has struck us down, but he will bind up our wounds.
Two days later he will bring us back to life;
on the third day, he will raise us up,
and we shall live in his presence.
Let us strive to know Yahweh,
His coming is a as certain as the dawn;
his judgment will burst forth like the light;
he will come to us as showers come,
like spring rain that waters the earth.

"O Ephraim, what shall I do with you?
O Judah, how shall I deal with you?
This love of yours is like morning mist,
like morning dew that quickly disappears.
This is why I smote you through the prophets,
and have slain you by the words of my mouth.

"For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice;
it is knowledge of God, not burn offerings."

HOSEA 6:1-6

"Lord, make me tough, make me brave to die to my bad habits."

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Kingdom Built On Love

Canon EOS 350D

"A teacher of the Law had been listening to this discussion and admired how Jesus answered them. So he came up and asked him, 'Which commandment is the first of all?'

"Jesus answered, 'The first is: Hear, Israel! The Lord, our God, is One Lord; and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And after this comes another one: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these two.'

"The teacher of the Law said to him, 'Well-spoken, Master; you are right when you say that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all our heart, with all our understanding and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves is more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.'

"Jesus approved this answer and said, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' But after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions."

MARK 12:28-34

"I love You, Lord.
Show me the way to let others know I love them, too."

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Frozen Soul

Pentax S50

"One thing I did command them: Listen to my voice and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in the way I command you and all will be well with you. But they did not listen and paid no attention; they followed the bad habits of their stubborn heart and turned away from me.

"From the time I brought their forefathers out of Egypt until this day I have continually sent them my servants, the prophets, but this stiff-necked people did not listen. they paid no attention and were worse than their forefathers.

"You may say all these things to them but they will not listen; you will call them but they will not answer. This is a nation that did not obey Yahweh and refused to be disciplined; truth has perished and is no longer heard from their lips."

JEREMIAH 7:23-28

"Lord, teach me how to pay attention to You."

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Pass It On

"And now, Israel, listen to the norms and laws which I teach that you may put them into practice. And you will live and enter and take possession of the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, gives you.

"See, as Yahweh, my God ordered me, I am teaching you the norms and the laws that you may put them into practice in the land you are going to enter and have as your own. If you observe and practice them, other peoples will regard you as wise and intelligent. When they come to know of all these laws, they will say, 'There is no people as wise and as intelligent as this great nation.' For in truth, is there a nation as great as ours, whose gods are as near to it as Yahweh, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? And is there a nation as great as ours whose norms and laws are as just as this Law which I give you today?

"But be careful and be on your guard. Do not forget these things which your own eyes have seen nor let them depart from your heart as long as you live. But on the contrary, teach them to your children and to your children's children."

DEUTERONOMY 4:1,5-9

"May the blessing You have given me never die out
but be passed on to those that come after me."

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Forgiveness

"Then Peter asked him, 'Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister? Seven times?' Jesus answered, 'No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

"'This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants. Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand gold ingots. As the man could not repay th debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, children and all his goods in payment.

"'The official threw himself at the feet of the king and said, "Give me time, and I will pay you back everything." The king took pity on him and not only set him free but even canceled his debt.

"'This official then left the king's presence and he met one of his companions who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost strangeld him, shouting, "Pay me what you owe!" His companion threw himself at his feet and asked him, "Give me time, and I will pay everything." The other did not agree, but sent him to prison until he paid all his debt.

"'His companions saw what happened. They were indignant and so they went and reported everything to their lord. Then the lord summoned his official and said, "Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so. Weren't you bound to have pity on your companion as I had pity on you?" The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt.'

"Jesus added, 'So will my heavenly Father do with you unless each of you sincerely forgive your brother or sister.'"

MATTHEW 18:21-35

"Today I make a decision to consciously forgive those who hurt me
as I ask for an outpouring of God's love and grace."

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My Place Or Your Place?

"Jesus added, 'No prophet is honored in his own country. Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land. yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarapeth, in the country of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet, and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.'

"On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw him down the cliff. But he passed through their midst and went his way."

LUKE 4:24-30

"Lord, remind me always that come what may,
I am Your child and You are my Father.
And together we'll work as a team."

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Tragedy

"One day some persons told Jesus what had occurred in the Temple: Pilate had Galileans killed and their blood mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus replied, 'Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this? I tell you: no. But unless you change your ways, you will all perish as they did.

"'And those eighteen persons in Siloah who were crushed when the tower fell, do you think they were more guilty than all the others in Jerusalem? I tell you: no. But unless you change your ways, you will all perish as they did.'

"And Jesus continued with this story, 'A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard and he came looking for fruit on it, but found none. Then he said to the gardener: 'Look here, for three years now I have been looking for figs on this tree and I have found none. Cut it down, why should it use up the ground?' The gardener replied: 'Leave it one more year, so that I may dig around it and add some fertilizer; and perhaps it will ear fruit from now on. But if it doesn't, you can cut it down.'"

LUKE 13:1-9

"Teach me to take moral inventory of myself and
not make a moral inventory of others."

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Unfathomable Divine Mercy

"Meanwhile tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what he had to say. But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, muttering, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.' So Jesus told them this parable.

"'There was a man with two sons. The younger said to his father: "Give me my share of the estate." So the father divided his property between them.

"'Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off for a distant land where he squandered his wealth in loose living. Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe famine broke out in that land. So he hired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place and was sent to work on a pig farm. So famished was he that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but no one offered him anything.

"'Finally coming to his senses, he said: "How many of my father's hired workers have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants." With that thought in mind he set off for his father's house.

"'He was still a long way off when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. The son said: "Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son..."

"'But the father turned to his servants: "Quick! Bring out the finest robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and kill it. We shall celebrate and have a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and is found." And the celebration began.

"'Meanwhile, the elder son had been working in the fields. As he returned and was near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what it was all about. The servant answered: "You brother has come home safe and sound, and your father is so happy about it that he has ordered this celebration and killed the fattened calf."

"'The elder son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him. The indignant son said: "Look, I have slaved for you all these years. Never have I disobeyed your orders. Yet you have never given me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. Then when this son of yours returns after squandering your property with loose women, you kill the fattened calf for him."

"'The father said: "My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But this brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life. He was lost and is found. And for that we had to rejoice and be glad.'"

LUKE 15:1-3,11-32

"Have mercy on us and on the whole world... Jesus, I trust in You."

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Preacher

From www.thebiblerevival.com

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other children, for he was the son of his old age and he had a coat with long sleeves made for him. His brothers who saw that their father loved him more than he loved them, hated him and could no longer speak to him in a friendly way.

"His brothers had gone to pasture their father's flock at Shechem, and Israel said to Joseph, 'Your brothers are pasturing the flock at Shechem; come along, I'll send you to them.' Joseph replied, 'Hear I am'.

"The man said, 'They have gone from here, for I heard them say: Let's go to Dothan!' So Joseph went off after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

"They saw him in the distance and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. They said to one another, 'Here comes the specialist in dreams! Now's the time! Let's kill him and throw him into a well. We'll say a wild animal devoured him. Then we'll see what his dreams were all about!' But Reuben heard this and tried to save him from their hands saying, 'Let us not kill him; shed no blood! Throw him in this well in the wilderness, but do him no violence.' This he said to save him from them and take him back to his father.

"So as soon as Joseph arrived, they stripped him of his long-sleeved coat that he wore and thent ook him and threw him in the well. Now the well was empty, without water.

"They were sitting for a meal when they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with spices, balm and myrrh, which they were taking down to Egypt. Judah then said to his brothers, 'What do we gain by killing our brother and hiding his blod? Come! We'll sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother and our own flesh!' His brother agreed to this.

"So when the Midianite merchants came along they pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the well. For twenty pieces of silver they sold Joseph to the Midianites, who took him with them to Egypt."

GENESIS 37:3-4,12-13,17-28

"Oh! That You would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, that Your Hand would be with me, that You would keep me from evil, that I would not cause pain."

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Wanna Be Boss?

"Once there was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and feasted every day. At his gate lay Lazarus, a poor man covered with sores, who longed to eat just the scraps falling from the rich man's table. Even dogs used to come and lick his sores. It happened that the poor man died and angels carried him to take his place with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. From hell where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham afar off, and with him Lazarus at rest.

"He called out: 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus with the tip of his finger dipped in water to cool my tongue, for I suffer so much in this fire.'

"Abraham replied: 'My son, remember that in your lifetime you were well-off while the lot of Lazarus was misfortune. Now he is in comfort and you are in agony. But that is not all. Between your place and ours a great chasm has been fixed, so that no one can cross over from here to you or from your side to us.'

"The rich man implored once more: 'Then I beg you, Father Abraham, to send Lazarus to my father's house where my five brothers live. Let him warn them sot hat they may not end up in this place of torment.' Abraham replied: 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' But the rich man said: 'No, Father Abraham. But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent!'

"Abraham said: 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the grave.'"

LUKE 16:19-31

"Lord, help me to love the people You bring to me today.
My co-workers, the traffic officer, the maid,
my family, bring them on, Lord. Thank you."

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The Joy Of Serving

From www.foodforthepoor.org

"When Jesus was going to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve aside and said to them on the way, 'See, we are going to Jerusalem. There the Son of Man will be given over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law who will condemn him to death. They will hand him over to the foreigners who will mock him, scourge him and crucify him. But he will be raised to life on the third day.'

"Then the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down to ask a favor. Jesus said to her, 'What do you want?' And she answered, 'Here you have my two sons. Grant that they may sit, one at your right and one at your left, when you are in your kingdom.'

"Jesus said to the brothers, 'You do not know what your are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?' They answered, 'We can.' Jesus replied, 'You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right or at my left is not for me to grant. That will be for those for whom the Father has prepared it.'

"The other ten heard all this and were angry with the two brothers. Then Jesus called them to him and said, 'You know that the rulers of the nations act as tyrants, and the powerful oppress them. It shall not be so among you; whoever wants to be more important in your group shall make himself your servant. And if you want to be first, make yourself the servant of all. Be like the Son of Man who has come, not to be served but to serve and to give his life to redeem many.'"

MATTHEW 20:17-28

"Lord, teach me to be generous...
to give and not to count the cost..."

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The Enemy Within

Canon S45

"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:

"'The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees sat on the seat of Moses. So you shall do and observe all they say, but do not do as they do, for they do not do what they say. They tie up heavy burdens and load them on the shoulders of the people, but they do not even raise a finger to move them. They do everything in order to be seen by people; so they wear very wide bands of the Law around their foreheads, and robes with large tassels. They enjoy the first place at feasts and reserved seats in the synagogues, and being greeted in the marketplace and being called "Master" by the people.

"'But you, do not let yourselves be called Master because you have only one Master, and all of you are brothers and sisters. Neither should you call anyone on earth Father, because you have only one Father, he who is in heaven. Nor should you be called leader, because Christ is the only leader for you. Let the greatest among you be the servant of all. For whoever makes himself great shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be made great.'"

MATTHEW 23:1-12

"Change my heart, O God, may I be like You..."

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What It All Boils Down To

From www.pacificu.edu

"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"Don't be a judge to others and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you, and you will receive in your sack good measure, pressed down, full and running over. For the measure you give will be the measure you receive back."

LUKE 6:36-38

"Purify my mind, Lord, thought by thought.
In its every detail, cleanse me.
Teach me to think of my brethren as You would.
Always in love."

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Don't Sleep

Canon EOS 300v

"About eight days after Jesus had said all this, he took Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the aspect of his face changed and his clothing became dazzling white. Two men were talking with Jesus: Moses and Elijah. They had just appeared in heavenly glory and were telling him about his departure that had to take place in Jerusalem.

"Peter and his companion had fallen asleep, but they awoke suddenly and saw Jesus' Glory and the two men standing with him. As Moses and Elijah were about to leave, Peter said to him, 'Master, how good it is for us to be here for we can make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.' For Peter didn't know what to say. And no sooner had he spoken than a cloud appeared and covered them; and the disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud. Then these words came from the cloud, 'This is my Son, my Chosen one, listen to him.' And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was there alone.

"The disciples kept this to themselves at the time, telling no one of anything they had seen."

LUKE 9:28-36

"Wake me up, Jesus. I want to see Your glory!"

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Praying For Persecutors

Praying Hands by Albrecht Durer
From http://www.allposters.com

"You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and do not do good to your enemy. But this I tell you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven. For he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and he gives rain to both the just and the unjust.

"If you love those who love you, what is special about that? Do not even tax collectors do as much? And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans do as much? For your part you shall be righteous and perfect in the way your heavenly Father is righteous and perfect."

MATTHEW 5:43-48

"Lord, bless those who abuse me and insult me.
Bless them with good health, a happy life and
all their heart's desires.
Crown their efforts with success and prosper them. Amen."

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Ready To Reconcile

"I tell you, then, that if you are not righteous in a better way than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

"You have heard that it was said to our people in the past: Do not commit murder; anyone who does kill will have to face trial. But now I tell you: whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial. Whoever insults a brother or sister deserves to be brought before the council; whoever humiliates a brother or sister deserves to be thrown into the fire of hell. So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with him, and then come back and offer your gift to God.

"Don't forget this: be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail. There you will stay, until you have paid the last penny."

MATTHEW 5:20-26

"Father, save me from my pride."

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Don't Be Afraid To Ask

Canon S45

"Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds; and the door will be opened to him who knocks. Would any of you give a stone to your son when he asks for bread? Or give him a snake, when he asks for a fish? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

"So, do to others whatever you would that others do to you: there you have the Law and the Prophets."

MATTHEW 7:7-12

"Lord, You've never stopped asking me to change my life.
Thank You that You never give up on asking!"

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