Favorite Fruit

           My favorite fruit seems to always be changing. In the fall it’s apples. When I have a high quality orange, it’s oranges. And when the pineapple or the peach is just right, it seems impossible that anything could be better. The variety of fruits in this world is really wonderful. God has greatly blessed us with them, and I am thankful to live in a time when they are so available – even year round. The quality of the fruit depends on the quality of the tree, doesn’t it? Trees that are maintained and well-cared for will produce more… and better… fruit. Trees left to go wild produce fruit that is marred and marked, misshapen, and immature.

            God likes fruit, too. Of course He is glorified by every apple and pear. But Jesus taught us that God is looking for fruit in us, and that it brings Him glory when we are fruitful. Fruitfulness is one of the evidences of the presence of genuine faith in our lives. In other words, our lives will produce what we believe in. It has been said that “you are what you believe.” Just like an apple tree produces apples (and not something else), so true faith produces the fruit of good works and good speech. Apples don’t “try hard” to grow. They grow naturally from the connection they have to the branch of a healthy tree. Faith, too, is not something that comes from “trying hard”. Faith comes from being connected in a healthy way to Christ. Whenever we are connected this way, God will produce in us the fruit He desires.

            Genuine faith is always accompanied by appropriate actions (James 2:14-26) and words (James 3:1-12). These actions and words are the natural fruit of a healthy relationship with Jesus, where He is recognized as Lord and served and obeyed out of love. Jesus, when speaking about false prophets and genuine followers, said that people can be known by the fruit that is born in their lives. Just as apples “naturally” come from the apple tree, good works and good speech come from a life in which Jesus is Lord. So, when people see me “in action” and they hear my speech (both content and tone), they will think of Jesus if I am living by faith. If I am not living by faith, but rather am trusting in myself, the fruit will be different and people will see that also. If I am not living by faith in Christ, but am serving idols of some kind, the fruit will be a completely different product. The fruit indicates the tree. Christian fruit is the works we do because of Christ in us and the overflowing of grace to us by the Holy Spirit. We are connected to Christ by faith. May that be evident in all that flows forth from us! AMEN.

Matthew 7:15-23 (NIV) ¹⁵  "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶  By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷  Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. ²¹  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²  Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' ²³  Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

John 15:1-8 (NIV) ¹  "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴  Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. ⁵  "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶  If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. ⁸  This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Galatians 5:19-25 (NIV) ¹⁹  The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰  idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹  and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. ²⁵  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

PRAYER: “Father, I know I don’t have to manufacture fruit. In fact, when I try to, it doesn’t come out very well. My good works – apart from what Christ is producing in me by the Holy Spirit – are shabby at best and sinful at worst, because they don’t come from faith. Lord, let my faith be strong and may the relationship You have made possible through Christ’s blood generate works of love and grace that can only be possible because of Christ in me. Let my words and my works be like Christ’s.  In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.”

Beautiful But Dangerous

           On a walk yesterday I saw my first lupin of the season beginning to bloom. These common roadside and field flowers are a little like lilacs in that their late spring bloom is bright, but relatively short. In reading a little bit about lupins, I learned that in some cases they have had culinary uses. The yellow legume seeds of lupins, commonly called lupin beans, were popular with the Romans, who spread the plant's cultivation throughout the Roman Empire. The name 'Lupin' derives from the Latin word lupinus (meaning "of or belonging to a wolf"). It was given this name because many found that the plant has a tendency to ravage the land on which it grows. The peas, which appear after the flowering period, were also said to be fit only for the consumption of wolves. Lupini dishes are most commonly found in Mediterranean countries, especially in Portugal, Egypt, and Italy, and also in Brazil. In Portugal and Spain they are popularly consumed with beer. In Lebanon, salty and chilled Lupini Beans are called "Termos" and are served pre-meal as part of a drink/appetizer. Lupins were also used by many Native American people in North America. Edible lupins are referred to as sweet lupins because they contain smaller amounts of toxic alkaloids than the bitter lupin varieties. Please note that I’m not writing about lupins to encourage anyone to eat them. In fact, just the opposite (unless you really know what you are doing). Lupins contain significant amounts of certain compounds that can be highly toxic and/or allergenic. Both sweet and bitter lupins in feed can cause livestock poisoning. Lupin poisoning is a nervous syndrome caused by alkaloids in bitter lupins. Poisonous lupin seeds annually cause the loss of many cattle and sheep on western American ranges.  

            Lupins are an example of something that looks harmless – even beautiful – but is dangerous if used (consumed) in the wrong way. We enjoy looking at them for a season, but should only go “so far” with them, right? It’s like the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil that God placed in the Garden of Eden, but forbade Adam and Eve to eat. It must have looked good and appealed to the eye. That’s what Genesis 3:6 tells us, anyway. What looked harmless had come with a warning from the Lord to them. But in their wisdom the lie of the serpent made more sense than the word of God. “It couldn’t hurt!” they thought.

            How many things in life do we look at… how many things are we attracted to… while at the same time listening to (usually an inner witness) the message, “It couldn’t hurt!”? We can be just as conflicted as Eve and Adam were. We know from the Word of God that something is “off limits”. It is not acceptable to Him. It is wrong in His sight. But it looks so good… even beautiful. It couldn’t really be all that bad! This temptation – just as it was for Adam and Eve – is a temptation to not believe God. To not trust God’s Word about anything is really the foundation of all sin. Acting, thinking, speaking… apart from faith (apart from God’s perspective and expectations in anything) will always lead us to sin. The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God. So faith means conforming our thoughts, words, and deeds to the Word of God. Sin comes about as a result of being attracted to something that “disagrees” with God’s Word. Then we are faced with a decision: “Do I believe God and trust in His word, or do I stray from that path and do what appeals to me?” God’s path is life. Any other path is death. The choice seems like it should be easy, but living by faith requires constant surrender to the Lord in a world that is constantly seeking to “conquer” us.

            But God gives us grace, and He gives faith to trust Him. In His love God raises us up to walk with Him. He has given us His Spirit, who helps us to walk by faith. He has given us His Word, and He has given us Christ’s Body – the Church, so that we might help one another. So let us help one another not to be fooled by the attractiveness of sin. Let us encourage one another to behold the beauty of the Lord and to see temptation for what it really is: a lie. And let us seek daily to live by faith and to walk closely with our God.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) ⁷  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) ⁶  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

 PRAYER: “Father, take my hand and lead me, that I might live by faith… that I might know Your truth. And, knowing Your truth, that I will shape my thoughts, words, and deeds according to the reality of Your presence and will and not my own. When something that is not pleasing to You – yet is attractive to me – comes my way, help me to see Your beauty – a beauty by which all other things lose their attraction. May my desire be for You.  In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.”

 Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott

The Good Work of the Holy Spirit

           Earlier this Spring I finally got around to gathering up all the sticks on our lawn. Our yard is surrounded by maple trees. Though I like the trees, sometimes they feel like overgrown weeds that just make a mess. The “sticks” were a winter’s worth of branches (and a couple of limbs) that had broken and fallen to the ground. I filled the wheelbarrow three times and have a good-sized pile out by the driveway. The lawn is easier to mow and it looks better without all the twigs. This is not one of my favorite things to do because it’s not all that easy on the back. But it’s a good feeling to have the yard clean, so it’s worth it.

            The recent rainy period was accompanied by a few windy days, so guess what I had to do? Get the wheelbarrow out again… circle the house… fill it up with more sticks… take it to the pile… and check my attitude. While there were not as many sticks as before, I still felt a little annoyed at having to do this again. “How many times this summer is this going to happen?!” I thought. “Stupid wind!”

            The next day I was thinking about this little episode as a spiritual illustration. The Scriptures speak of the Holy Spirit often in terms of wind. The Greek and Hebrew words for “spirit” speak of “breath” and “wind”. One of the works of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is conviction of sin. He reminds us of the areas and occasions where we have fallen short of God’s glory. This is a good thing, because we can then confess those sins and receive forgiveness and be restored in our relationship with the Lord. The Spirit does spiritually what the wind does to my maple trees. The wind knocks off the deadwood. It makes the brokenness obvious, and I have to pick it up. I have to clean it up. While I don’t always like having my sins exposed and my brokenness made obvious, I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit’s work because I like being “cleaned up”. It’s a good feeling to have my heart clean and forgiven. So may He “blow over me” daily. May He bring to light the stuff that isn’t healthy and that offends the Lord. And just like I burn up all the twigs in my yard, may He burn away the guilt and shame of my sins so that nothing remains of them, and I may walk with Christ in righteousness.

Psalm 51:1 (NIV) - ¹  Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

John 16:8-11 (NIV) - ⁸  When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹  in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; ¹⁰  in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹  and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

PRAYER: “Father, thank You for the convicting and consecrating work of the Holy Spirit. As He “blows” through my life, please reveal to me those things that need to be “cleaned up”. Lead me to confess my sin and find forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ Your Son, who has saved me by His grace. Thank You for Your forgiveness and Your power to cleanse.  In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott

Keep Pedaling

       Yesterday morning at 8:00 eight college-aged young people hopped on their bikes at the pier in Bar Harbor for the beginning of a one-month (plus) bike tour to Key West, Florida. They arrived from their home base in the York, Pennsylvania area at our church building on Saturday – a nice, but cool day. It was cooler than they had expected. And, indeed, we have been about 10 degrees lower in our daily temperatures than usual. They were cold. When they left yesterday (Monday) it was not only chilly, it was raining quite steadily. It was one of those situations where you might be tempted to say, “It could be worse.”… but don’t because some other difficulty could arise. Did I mention it was a little windy as well? Not exactly an auspicious beginning. They were expecting to ride about 85 miles down Route 1 to Rockport on Monday. It was a tough day to start their journey and just before they left the church building to go to the pier we prayed together. I prayed for God’s protection from injury and from discouragement. On such a journey there are likely to be many times of discouragement, frustration, and the temptation to give up. It will take a high level of determination for them to persevere. We all understand this from the times of discouragement we have faced.

       How would you pray for discouraged people? What would you say in your prayer? In order to persevere through adversity and discouragement, a person needs a vision - a goal – that keeps them “pedaling”… that keeps them moving forward. If the goal is worthy enough… if it is compelling enough… discouragement can be overcome. Without that goal, however, discouragement will most always lead to despair and to giving up in one form or another.

       Jesus is our great example in persevering. Hebrews 12:2 speaks of Christ enduring the cross “for the joy set before Him”. The joy He was looking to was returning to the right hand of the Father’s throne in heaven. Hebrews 12 begins with a reference to the great cloud of witnesses (from chapter 11) who were people of great faith. They are an encouragement to the believer in Jesus Christ at all times, but especially in times when we might be tempted to give up, because by faith they persevered. Yet, it is not by looking to them that we will persevere. Our “goal” – more worthy than anything – is Jesus Himself. We are called to “fix our eyes on Him” – the One who is at the “finish line” if you will. Without that vision of Him… that desire to know Him, be with Him, to see Him meet all of our needs… discouragement and despair will attack us and will lead us to give up. Jesus will not let that happen to the one who trusts in Him. The power that raised Him from the dead is the power that He also gives to those who love Him – those to whom He has given life.

       While we may live through many “it could be worse” situations we can take heart because there is nothing that we face that Christ has not already defeated. He will see us through. Our main need is to see Him… to be undeterred in keeping our eyes on Him. May God’s grace be given to us in abundance so that our faith may be strong as He sees us through to victory over every adversity. And may He receive much glory through us.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV) ¹  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Romans 8:35-39 (NIV) ³⁵  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶  As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." ³⁷  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

PRAYER: “Father, thank You that Jesus is at the “end” of our earthly journey. Guide us to always keep Him in our focus as the hardships of life seek to blur our vision and tempt us to despair and to give up. Thank You not only for the example of Christ, but for the gift of faith and the presence and power of Christ Himself through the Holy Spirit to give us victory. May His power be at work in us, and may all discouragement be defeated. Be glorified in all these things in my life.  In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott

Facebook vs. Face to Face with Jesus

            If you could have a photograph of one moment in history, what would it be? Would you pick an event in the Bible… like the parting of the Red Sea or the birth of Christ or the crucifixion of Jesus or even the resurrection? Or maybe you would choose a post-biblical moment, such as Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses on the door of All Saints Church at Wittenberg or the Pilgrims setting foot on new world soil or the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There are so many possibilities.

            More than ever, we are filling our lives up with photos. We are making up for centuries when there were none taken because the technology did not exist. Today our photos are mostly digital, and millions of them exist on computers, databases, and phones all over the world. We flood Facebook with them, documenting our lives and sharing images on a daily basis. We send them through emails and text messages. Apple advertises the iPhone as the device with which more photos are taken than any other. We surround ourselves with them in our homes and workplaces. My office is full of pictures of my kids when they were younger.

            Now and then when I look at my photo files on my computer, I wonder what will happen to them. Perhaps the files will somehow get to my kids. Maybe I’ll get around to storing them on some external database in the online digital world. But even if my kids use them, their kids will use them less, and their kids even less. Sooner or later all the photos of what was important to me will get “lost” in the uncounted trillions of bits and bytes that make up the digital universe. Many of these photos capture special moments and I like being able to view them at a click of a mouse. They capture memories. I like it when friends and family share their photos.

            But if I had to trade them all in for a face-to-face moment with Jesus, it would be no contest. And some day I actually will. The One whom I have never seen will one day return… or I will go to be with Him. And it will be glorious beyond description. And I look forward to not needing or wanting a camera in heaven to “capture” moments, because the moments will only be getting better. Why try to save a picture of something to look fondly back at… when what is ahead just keeps getting better, fuller, richer, and more wonderful? Each future moment will “top” the last. And I won’t have time to look back. It will be too glorious ahead. So, we enjoy our photos for the time being, but we don’t let them keep us from looking ahead to what will be so much greater. To belong to Jesus here is to be one who is ever looking forward joyfully to being with Him. Maranatha!

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV) ⁹  However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--

Philippians 3:20 (NIV) ²⁰  But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

1 John 3:2 (NIV) ²  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

PRAYER: “Father, there are so many blessings from You in this life. Thank You for each and every one of them. But compared to the thought of being with You for eternity, they pale in consideration. What a day that will be when we see Jesus. Give me a hungry desire for being with You that starts now, when I can’t see You. , so that my joy will be made complete when I do see You.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott

Idols in the Church

      Recently I was at a retreat for pastors. It was an informal event, but a pastor from a distant part of the state shared quite seriously about a long (3-year) process his church went through to make a decision to grow their vision and expand their mission by becoming a church that met and worshipped in two locations. He described some of the resistance that arose on the part of people at both locations – one of which was a church about to die and the other in reasonable health. He told of people expressing a lot of fear and of some people becoming very angry and resistant at the changes that were taking place and being proposed. That sounded very sad to me and I asked him what was at the root of the resistance. Primarily, the problems were an over-attachment to the building (where each church met) and a concern about (the loss of) power and control.

       His question through many days of uncertainty was, “What is God’s will?” He asked it over and over again. His major concern was the opportunity to bring the Gospel to a neighborhood in town where the lack of a church presence would leave a great hole in the ministry of the Gospel. The long process resulted in some people leaving the church and many obstacles to be overcome. The financial challenges are ongoing. However, I was inspired this pastor’s perseverance and by the faithfulness of those who could/would see God’s vision. I commented to him that what he shared was a blessing to me because it reminded me that God’s Spirit still tears down strongholds and “high places”.

       The high places of Israel were where the people of God acted unfaithfully toward God by erecting and worshipping idols and calling others to worship them as their gods – in some cases even giving them credit for delivering them from Egypt many years before. The high places became strongholds of evil and idolatry and they were very difficult to eliminate. Most of Israel’s and Judah’s kings didn’t care enough to do anything about them. A few tried, but failed to eradicate them, because they became so entrenched in the spiritual life of Israel. One king – Josiah of Judah – however, was faithful and succeeded. Then there was revival and renewal in Israel. The Word of God was found and read. True worship in Israel was restored – for a time.

       Idols of many kinds can keep us from God, and will always impact us by distracting us from the true worship of God. We worship and focus on them instead. This is one of the goals of our enemy, the devil. If we will just worship created things – any created thing (including ourselves), he will have succeeded in turning us into idolaters – one of the very things God hates most. An idol is anything we care about, love, serve, or give ourselves to more than we do God. And idols (people, activities, goals, even certain good things…) become strongholds – hard to “tear down”. Tearing them down can hurt. But tearing them down is the only solution. And we cannot do it ourselves. Through prayer and reliance upon God, we can see Him do amazing things to the strongholds of sin and idolatry in our lives. But He wants to… and He will, when we repent and turn to Him and leave our “idols” behind. May the Lord help us to identify these strongholds in our lives! May He lead us to reject them utterly and run to Him in brokenness and contrition! And may He raise up in us a new vision for Him and lives of holiness and passion for Him and for His will. AMEN!

Numbers 33:52 (NIV) ⁵²  … When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places.

2 Kings 17:9-11 (NIV) ⁹ The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord, their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city they built themselves high places in all their towns. ¹⁰ They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. ¹¹ At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that provoked the Lord to anger.

2 Kings 23:8 (NIV) ⁸ Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the shrines…”

PRAYER: “Lord, show me where the strongholds are in my life… my relationships. Pierce my heart with conviction over them and lead to repentance: a repentance of rejecting the idols there so completely that I can embrace You fully and worship You in truth and in holiness. Take away my love for things… for people… for anything that I love more than You. Let me love You wholly.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott

Let Everything Praise the Lord

             Have you heard the “pinkletinks”? That’s what they call them on Martha’s Vineyard. Don’t ask me why. Maybe you’ve heard the name “tinkletoes” – sometimes used in New Brunswick? Probably not. The small chorus frog found throughout the northeastern U.S. is also called a “spring peeper”, or just “peeper”. Oh… those! Have you heard them? Just about any place you find even a small body of water you will find peepers this time of year. Actually, you will more likely hear them. They are very difficult to find. Just like crickets, you hear them at a distance, but if you come too close, they stop “peeping”. And since they are typically in dense brush/growth, and since it usually is dark, there’s almost no chance that you will see one. They are especially easy to hear due to their extremely loud mating call which gives them the name "peeper", but it is often hard to pinpoint the source of the sound, especially when many are peeping at once. Here’s a link if you want to hear one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhBsNqF7Hkk&noredirect=1.

            If you could see one, you would find that spring peepers are tan or brown with a dark cross that roughly forms an X on their dorsa (backside), thus the Latin name Pseudacris crucifer, meaning cross-bearer. This frog has a vocal sac located by its throat, which expands and deflates like a balloon to create a short and distinct peeping sound. Only the males have the ability to make this loud high-pitched noise, and they use it to attract mates. These one-inch frogs seem to only want to be seen/found by a female of the species. Yet we all get to enjoy the chorus every spring when the sun goes down each day.

            God’s creation is certainly amazing. Every species resounds in appearance and in sound to the glory of God. When I hear the peepers I think of them simply doing what they were created to do. But as they do so, they glorify their Maker. They aren’t conscious of being cross-bearers, but they are. They were designed by God in a unique way. In a different way, of course, we who follow Christ (the new creation) have been designed to be cross-bearers as well. We were created in Christ Jesus to do good works. What we do for the Lord and for others… and what we say that represents the Lord faithfully… all of that is a chorus of praise as well. People both hear and see us. When they do, do they see and hear the worship of our lives unto Christ? May the Lord give us “large voices”… may we together in Christ be a “large chorus” of praise to His glory, doing what we were made to do. The next time you hear the peepers, remember that you were designed by the Lord to join in the praise – in a way that is unique to you. No one else can do it for you.

Psalm 96:11-13 (NIV) ¹¹  Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; ¹²  let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; ¹³  they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) ¹⁰  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) ¹  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. ²  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

PRAYER: “Lord, thank You for the song of the peepers. As a springtime sound, it lifts us with joy about warmer and longer days ahead. Thank You that all of Your creatures so naturally glorify You. May I glorify You as well.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

 Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott