You Are Part of His Body

St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, Bellaire, TX

“No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of His body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh. This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband” (Ephesians 5:29-33 The Message).

Being part of the body of Christ brings up an obvious question. What part of the body am I? This Scripture will help to clarify what it means to be part of the body of Christ. “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body” (1 Corinthians 12:12-16 ESV).

In Ephesians, Chapter five, Paul is reminding us how to live out our family relationships. Sometimes it takes all of the fruit of the Spirit to do it. The fruit of the Spirit is listed in Galatians 5:22, it is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. We receive all of these when we get the Holy Spirit.

It’s like having nine different boxes, each with a locked lid. Figuring out how to unlock it, get access to the fruit, and learning how to use it, is going to take time and practice. The key is prayer and submission.

Every part of the Body of Christ is about serving others. The miracle is that you can think of others as more important than yourself. You can practice this with your family.

This is day twenty-two of a forty-day devotional about how much God loves you. Click here to order.

Click here for my website.

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Happy Thanksgiving Day 2015

David and I celebrated a quiet Thanksgiving Day, thanking God for His many blessings. He has poured out blessings upon each of us every day throughout the year. And what does He expect in return? “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8, ESV)?

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations (Psalm 100, KJV).

Have a blessed day!

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Audio Version of I Hate Walt is Available on Amazon, Audible

I Hate Walt is available on Amazon and  Audible! Now you can use Amazon’s whisper sync to read along with you as you share a slice of Mary Lou’s life in Denver, Colorado. You will enjoy the sights and sounds of Denver during the holidays as the first scene of the book takes place on Christmas Eve!

I am currently working on the sequel to this fun read with a surprise ending.

Click here to order.

Click here to check out my website.

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You are Getting a New Body

Church of Hallgrimur,
ReykjavAK,, Iceland

“But there is far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high Heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, Jesus Christ, who will transforms our earthly bodies into glorious bodies like His own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which He is putting everything as it should be, under and around Him” (Philippians 3:20 The Message).

I woke up this morning with a bit of a headache. I looked in the mirror and groaned. I needed to get in my office and get a couple of devotions finished before my girls came to visit. It took all I could do just to get myself into my office. My thinking was fuzzy with fierce ringing in my ears, a condition I ignored for years but am finally addressing.

Last night my husband and I had gone out for a quick bite to eat at a new restaurant near our home. It was Mexican food. I love Mexican food, but it is so much better with a Diet Pepsi. So, in spite of my caffeine intolerance, I ordered a Diet Pepsi. By the time we finished our meal, I was feeling a bit edgy.

On the way home we stopped to for a quick ‘hello’ at a friend’s home. We enjoyed our visit and stayed much longer than intended. It was past bedtime (9:00 for me) when we got home. I was so tired, but we got interested in a project, and before we knew it, it was 11:00. We finally got to bed and David fell asleep. My Diet Pepsi caffeine indiscretion kept me awake for the next hour or more.

Praise God! He is going to give us new bodies, ones that are like His resurrected body. One that has not been corrupted by our own bad decisions such as not eating right, ageing, or even injuries. We will not need glasses or caffeine. It will be a glorious body built for eternity. For eternity. And this is a miracle.

This is day twenty-seven of a forty day devotional, The Miracle of You. Click here to order. Click here to check out my website.

 

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Lubbock, Texas

Lubbock, Texas
Land of oil and cowboys

Lubbock, Texas,  located in the northwestern high plains of Texas seems like an oasis in a desert of few cities. Be sure the tank is full before driving out of town. I visited Dallas in August and spent a few days in Lubbock in October. Believe me, the October temperatures were appreciated. Although Lubbock (at a population of around three hundred thousand) isn’t the metropolis of Dallas, it holds an equally interesting history.

Some historical points other than being the home of Buddy Holly are:

Founded in 1876.

Named after Thomas Saltus Lubbock – Texas Ranger and brother of the governor during the Civil War.

In 1909 the railroad arrived.

The Museum of Texas Tech’s archaeological preserve reveals evidence of twelve thousand years of human occupation in the area.

In August 1951, a V-shaped formation,  “Lubbock Lights” series of UFO sightings received national publicity and is regarded as one of the first great UFO cases.

Click here for more on this, around two and a half minutes of speculation.

On May 11, 1970, the Lubbock Tornado struck the city. Twenty-six people died, and damage was estimated at $125 million. The Metro Tower (NTS Building), then known as the Great Plains Life Building, at 274 ft. in height, is believed to have been the tallest building ever to survive a direct hit from an F5 tornado.

Click here for a great documentary (a little over six minutes) on the history of Lubbock.

For a little homespun tune about this progressive city, click here.

To check out my website, click here.

Happy trails!

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Walking with the LORD

November, 2015

November 8th I am scheduled to speak at Alma Temple. My presentation is titled “Walking with the LORD.” The service begins at 6:00 pm. Beginning at 6:30 pm the message will be on live radio broadcast on AM910, KPOF, and audio streaming via the internet. Please join us. Alma Temple is located at 1340 Sherman Street, half a block from the state capitol building, Denver, Colorado.

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The Buddy Holly Story through November 14 at BDT

I just returned from a quick trip to Lubbock, Texas. Years ago I decided that Lubbock was the flattest place on earth, well at least one of them. The Great Salt Flats are a good match, but all that is for another time. I promise to fill you in on the city of Lubbock in the next blog, but today has to be about Buddy Holly. I had a coincidence type thing happen in regard to the trip.

Me in front of the Buddy Holly Museum
Lubbock, Texas

I wanted to see some of the sights in Lubbock and probably the most famous thing to come out of that fair city was Buddy Holly. I roared over to the museum directly after church. I must confess that I didn’t get into the museum because it was closed on Sunday. Getting a peek into the life of the talented musician seemed dashed because I was leaving the next day.

Upon my return to Denver I was invited to go to the Boulder Dinner Theater. And guess what is now playing there? The Buddy Holly Story. I had an amazing evening of rock and roll along with Brett Ambler doing an incredible job playing the part of Buddy Holly. The evening was AWESOME! Everyone was on their feet and the band kept playing! Don’t miss this.

To make reservations, click here.

Happy Trails!

Click here to check out my website.

 

 

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You are a Member of God’s Household

Church of the Immaculate Conception, Geraldine, South Canterbury, NZ

“You’re no longer wandering exiles. This Kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what He is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now He’s using you, fitting you brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home” (Ephesians 2:19-22 The Message).

Imagine a field littered with individual bricks. Do you see a building or do see a mess? So it is with Christians. Until we are bonded with other Christians we are not yet part of the Church. Jesus sees us as we can be, but the vision is not reality until the work is done.

With Jesus as the cornerstone, He controls the shape and form of the Church. He also controls the identification of the Church. We are the building bricks of this ever growing temple of God. New bricks must be added. All the bricks must spiritually mature and grow into a holy temple in the Lord. We grow and mature in the community of the church with the bricks around us.

As God’s people we must encourage those around us, be active in discipleship, and unashamedly stand against destructive activities. The Holy Spirit is the Supreme Builder of the Church because He is the supreme witness to Jesus Christ.

The miracle is that God can make something beautiful and holy out of a bunch of independent sinners. His temple is not complete until you are cemented into the place He reserved for you.

This is day twenty-five of a forty day devotional, The Miracle of You. Click here to order. Click here to check out my website.

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