Relational Bridges

  I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS I’m quoting Tim Keller from his devotional book on the Psalms, “The Songs of Jesus”, April 1st. “We have a direct link to the mighty deeds of the past ( those deeds recorded in Scripture ), because they were the exploits not of our ancestors but of God, Himself, and that God is still with us. Christians should never look at church history as if it contained some great race of heroes that has vanished irretrievably. Their God is our God. Nor should we look at earlier times of spiritual ministry in our lives and think that we’ll never be capable of that again. You weren’t capable of it the first time. It was God. And He is still here.” Some speak of God distancing Himself from us, being far off, as if God makes Himself absent from His own from time to time. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I recall at the age of 19 the Lord speaking to me these words, “Mark, I want you to know that no matter whether you feel my Presence or not, I am always with you, wor...

  THERE'S STILL TIME He's coming soon. There's still time to turn from the deception that sin can make your life whole and complete or that you can restore your own soul. Turn to Jesus in humble honesty and receive the forgiveness He has already paid for on your behalf. He is ready and waiting to give you a new heart and a new spirit, to give you eternal life and a living, dynamic relationship with Himself. He loves you and wants to make you whole again, fully human. Time is short. Do not procrastinate as procrastination is nothing more than disobedience in slow motion. Turn to Jesus Christ and live!

  THE FEAR OF THE LORD The "fear of the Lord" (which is the beginning of wisdom) is not being scared of God. It is being terrified of being apart from Him. Life without the Lord Jesus isn't life; it's barely even existence. It's certainly not being fully human.

  1 John 2:15-17   “ Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.   16  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.   17  And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. ” Jesus said, “If you love Me you will do what I command.” His commandments are not the impossible demands of a tyrant, but the Truth, that, if lived in the Holy Spirit’s power heal, protect, guide, rescue, restore and renew the life of anyone willing to take Jesus Christ at His Word. When God gives a command, in that command is a promise to empower us to do it. Loving means obeying, actually submitting ourselves to the thing or one we obey in order to draw life, meaning and ...

  A MAN BORN BLIND   When someone is born blind, they have no reference to the statement, “What a beautiful summer’s blue sky!” They can’t fathom the words, “What a dark and moonless night.” They have no sense of sight. What appears normative for sighted folk has no ground for thought in them. So it is with those who are spiritually blind, as we all have been since birth. The DNA of Adam was passed onto the whole human race; the result of “the fall”. At the core of who you are as a human being, you were born spiritually dead, spiritually blind, and deaf. There is no one more ineffective than a dead person. They cannot change their condition. Even a person, moments before physically alive, if their heart stops, they need immediate help from the outside to try and restart their heart by whatever means there are at hand. That is why the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ seems foolish to the world. Unaware that they are lost, why, they reason, do they need to be found? Bli...

  Ezekiel 34:25-28 25  “I will make a covenant of peace with my people and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then they will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear.   26  I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing.   27  The orchards and fields of my people will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety. When I have broken their chains of slavery and rescued them from those who enslaved them, then they will know that I am the  Lord .   28  They will no longer be prey for other nations, and wild animals will no longer devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will frighten them. ” God is speaking to His people Israel in this prophetic passage. The same promises are also part of the blessing of His people now, those who have trusted Him for salvation. God, Hi...

  St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation. I arise today through the strength of Christ with His Baptism, through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial, through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension, through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom. I arise today through the strength of the love of Cherubim in obedience of Angels, in the service of the Archangels, in hope of resurrection to meet with reward, in prayers of Patriarchs, in predictions of Prophets, in preachings of Apostles, in faiths of Confessors, in innocence of Holy Virgins, in deeds of righteous men. I arise today, through the strength of Heaven: light of Sun, brilliance of Moon, splendour of Fire, speed of Lightning, swiftness of Wind, depth of Sea, stability of Earth, firmness of Rock. I arise today, through God's st...