Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

Tribute to my dad, Arthur Wayne Fun. Always there. Take on hard things and keep going.  Strong in the valley and the mountain tops.  Home where the kids want to come home to.  Threw the "pill" in the mitt to try to burn me out.  Wanted me to be at work with him as much as possible. Farm, grocery store or anywhere.  Realistic expectations for each child.  Deep committed love through the hard times.  Could read between the lines of what I needed.  Saw the value in everyone. Overcame fear and anxiety with faith and hope.  Pushing through depression with love for God and others.  Did well by doing right.  Took confidence in a job well done expecting and receiving a proper reward.  Never gave in or gave up.  Spend massive time with family and friends. Saw the greatness in all his children and grandchildren.  Simple life.  Believed that God didn't make any trash. Expected his sons to be good fathers. ...

Luke 9. 46-48  They started arguing over which of them would be most famous. When Jesus realized how much this mattered to them, he brought a child to his side. “Whoever accepts this child as if the child were me, accepts me,” he said. “And whoever accepts me, accepts the One who sent me. You become great by accepting, not asserting. Your spirit, not your size, makes the difference.”

Luke 9. 37-40  When they came down off the mountain the next day, a big crowd was there to meet them. A man called from out of the crowd, “Please, please, Teacher, take a look at my son. He’s my only child. Often a spirit seizes him. Suddenly he’s screaming, thrown into convulsions, his mouth foaming. And then it beats him black-and-blue before it leaves. I asked your disciples to deliver him but they couldn’t.” 41  Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring your son here.” 42-43  While he was coming, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into convulsions. Jesus stepped in, ordered the vile spirit gone, healed the boy, and handed him back to his father. They all shook their heads in wonder, astonished at God’s greatness, God’s majestic greatness.

17 things to remember on the day of sadness of the shooting in the Charleston Church,( 6.17.15). I live in the Fort Worth Texas area now.  I spent thirty three years in Colorado in the ministry.  These dates of these shootings are burned into my mind.  Columbine. Aurora Theater.  Fort Worth church.  Colorado Springs church.  Charleston church.  This morning my heart is filled with sadness for this church and town as well as our great nation.  I meditated today on what I need to remember today and every day as a follower of Jesus. 1. God is love. 2. I need to be more wholehearted in my love for God and my neighbors. 3. Churches should be a place of prayer and teaching of God's word, but this place cannot contain God.  He is working in the comforters and helpers and justice workers. 4. The more effective the consequences of justice are carried out the more order and healing to the community. 5. When you mess up fess up. 6. Chan...

Matthew 5. 43  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor [ g ]   and hate your enemy.’   44  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, [ h ]   45  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.   46  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?   47  And if you greet your brethren [ i ] only, what do you do more  than others?  Do not even the tax collectors [ j ]  do so? 48  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Luke 9. 28  Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29  And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and [ p ] gleaming. 30  And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, 31  who, appearing in [ q ] glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32  Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. 33  And as [ r ] these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three [ s ] tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying. 34  While he was saying this, a cloud [ t ] formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35  T...

Luke 9. 18  And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the [ k ] people say that I am?” 19  They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” 20  And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The [ l ] Christ of God.” 21  But He [ m ] warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, 22  saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.” 23  And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24  For whoever wishes to save his [ n ] life will lose it, but whoever loses his [ o ] life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. 25  For what is a man p...

People r lerning the high cost of cheap labor down at the prison Loyal, honest, strong people are required to run a good prison.   These people who are smart enough to run one have two motives for serving in a hard job.   One is to provide for their family.   Two is to protect society.   If these two driving motives are gone from workers in prisons there will be big trouble.   We need to invest more money in good prisons and good prison workers in order to protect society. Larry Wishard

Matthew 25. 34  “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35  For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36  naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37  Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38  And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39  When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40  The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them , you did it to Me.’

Luke 9. 12  Now the day [ e ] was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get [ f ] something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.” 13  But He said to them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” 14  (For there were about five thousand men.) And He said to His disciples, “Have them [ g ] sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” 15  They did so, and had them all [ h ] sit down. 16  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them , and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the [ i ] people. 17  And they all ate and were satisfied; and [ j ] the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full .

Luke 9. 9  And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2  And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. 3  And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a [ a ] bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have [ b ] two tunics apiece. 4  Whatever house you enter, stay there [ c ] until you leave that city. 5  And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6  Departing, they began going [ d ] throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.