The Lord Will Be King Over the Whole Earth

The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. — Zechariah 14:9 

It's already July 1!

Hard to believe.

Yesterday marked the 12th anniversary of our Pastor Jeff and his wife Greta.

And it was also the day 68 years ago that Kirk's mom and dad were married.

Here they are after the ceremony.

The wedding took place at the Catholic church in Spencer, Iowa.

Then they headed over the United Methodist Church for the reception.

We miss them both!

The Lord is king over the whole earth.

There is only one Lord.

And one Savior — out Lord Jesus.

On the day He returns, there will be proclamations about His majesty.

On that day, His name will be the only name in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

They Shall Never Perish

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” — John 10:28-30

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Jesus gives us eternal life.

Just as Christ died and came alive again, we will never perish.

No one will snatch us out of His hand.

God is greater than all.

No one can snatch us our of the Father's hand.

Jesus and the Father are one.

What a blessed assurance.

These pressed flowers remind us that God is our Creator.

No one can snatch us out of His hand.

Receive the Crown of Life

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. — James 1:12

Those who persevere under trial are called blessed by God.

When we stand the test, God takes note.

That person will receive the crown of life.

Just as God has promised to those who love Him.

This is home up the street that's being built entirely of shipping containers.

I had heard about this recently, but this is the first time we saw it in person!

Very interesting!

God Showed His Love For Us

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. — 1 John 4:9

God showed His love among us.

He sent His one and only Son Jesus into the world.

So that we might live through Him.

Jesus, our Savior.

Kirk met with some of his friends from high school today: Ernie, Manuel, Josie, and Joe.

Friends for life!

 

The Lord Our God Is One

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. — Deuteronomy

The Lord our God is one.

We love the Lord with all our hearts.

And with all our souls.

And with all our strentgh.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Children of God

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. — Galatians 3:26-28

In Jesus we are children of God through faith.

We were baptized into Christ.

And we have clothed ourselves with Christ.

There is no longer male or female in teh eyes of Jesus.

We are all one in Christ! 

Conduct Yourselves in a Manner Worthy of the Gospel

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.  — Philippians 1:27

Paul continues in his letter,  asking us to live a life worth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Then he will know that we are able to stand firm in the Holy Spirit.

And we'll be able to work together.

Not arguing or trying to go our own way.

Striving as one, with one purpose, for the faith of the gospel.

We Proclain Him

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. — Colossians 1:28 

Jesus is the onee we proclaim.

Admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom.

So that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ Jesus.

Our Lord and Savior.

Who took the penalty we deserved for our sin.

So that we may present everyone fully mature.

In Christ, Each Member Belongs to the Others

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. — Romans 12:4-5 

Each of us has one body, created by God.

And each body has many members.

All of those members have different functions.

And they work together in perfect timing, forming one body.

In Christ, the church is one body.

Each of us has devoted our life to Jesus.

And God has a special purpose and function for each.

Together, we work together for God's good.

And each member belongs to the others.

There Is One God and One Mediator

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. — 1 Timothy 2:5-6 

God is the one and only.

Our Father and Redeemer.

Christ Jesus His Son is our mediator.

Jesus is the only mediator between us humans and God.

And Jesus gave himself as our ransom.

He paid the price of my sin.

And the sin of all people.

Others bear witness to this great sacrifice.

And through Him, I am blessed and redeemed.

God Showed His Love Among Us

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. — 1 John 4:9

Here's some delicious ahi Kirk marinated last week.

And he made some Manhattans to go with it - with extra special maraschino cherries.

Yum!

God also provides us with good things.

He showed His love among us by sending us His Son.

His one and only Son, Jesus.

Sent into our world, taking on human form.

So that we might live through Him.

Perfect Love Drives Out Fear

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. — 1 John 4:8 

God is love.

There is no fear in God or in love.

Perfect love drives out fear.

The person who fears is not made perfect in love.

Fear has to do with punishment rather than love.

God is love.

We love because God first loved us.

Bear With One Another in Love

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. — Ephesians 4:2 

As we approach February and Valentine's Day, this Scripture verse is a fitting reminder:

God calls us to love each other, just as He has loved us.

He commands us to be completely humble and gentle.

At best, I'm only partly humble.

And He asks us to be patient with others.

I'm not very patient, but God has been extremely patient with me.

God calls us to bear with one another in love.

I often have a hard time putting up with others.

Lord, please help me to follow you in showing these traits to those around me.

Children of God Through Faith

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. — Galatians 3:26-28 

When we were baptized into Christ, we were clothed with Him.

Now we should not look at each other in light of our differences.

Rather, we are all one in Jesus.

He doesn't see us as male or female.

Jesus doesn't count us as slave or free.

He doesn't' see Jew or Gentile, Catholic or Protestant.

We are now one in His eyes.

We Give Thanks to You, Lord

We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. — Revelation 11:17

We thank You, Lord.

Our God Almighty.

The One Who is and was.

You have taken Your great power.

You have begun to reign over the world.

And we are thankful.

The Fear of the Lord Is the Beginning of Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. — Proverbs 9:10 

Holding God in reverence and awe is the beginning of wisdom.

And knowledge of Jesus, the Holy One is understanding.

I'm on the beginning path.

Just continuing to learn about God and His Word.

And getting to know His Son Jesus better each day.

This is the view we had from the walking bridge at the zoo on Saturday.

A beautiful evening with the Old Globe theater in the background.

We Have an Advocate

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. — 1 John 2:1 

I am a child of God.

And Jesus is my advocate with Him.

Christ is the Righteous One, the Savior of the world.

When I sin, I know I can confess my sin to Jesus and He will stand before the Father on my behalf.

God has prepared a plan and purpose for my life.

He numbers the grains of sand on the beach.

And He knows the numbers of hairs on my head.

I am a child of God.

This Is What the Lord Says

This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. — Isaiah 48:17 

Today is our daughter's 25th birthday!

It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since we had her just down the street at Kaiser.

She now has her masters degree and enjoys her job as an enrollment counselor.

Her college friend will be here in a couple of weeks to visit from Spokane.

And we're headed out to dinner at a French restaurant in Coronado to celebrate.

Her coworkers brought festive red velvet cupcakes for her at work this week.

And Kirk and I picked up this cute chocolate mousse cake at Flour Power.

Our friends brought us yellowtail tuna that he caught a few weeks ago.

God directs us in the way we should go and teaches us what is best for us.

We are blessed!

All One in Christ Jesus

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. — Galatians 3:28 

We are part of God's family.

There is no longer Jew nor Gentile.

Neither slave nor free.

No longer male nor female.

We are all one in Christ Jesus.

Jumping for joy.

Boast in the Lord

But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. — 2 Corinthians 10:15-18 

God calls us to boast only in Him.

Not to commend ourselves.

But rather to boast in God's goodness and His life-giving power for us.

Last week Kirk discovered that his high-school friend Mike is now diagnosed with liver cancer.

He is struggling about whether to simply avoid the chemo and treatment regimen.

We are praying for God's wisdom to flood him and his care team.

Here he is in in the dark blue shirt in August.

He's lost 100 pounds since then.

We're covering him in prayer.

That they may make whatever decisions will be best for Mike and the ability to enjoy life in the years before him.