Jesus Christ Is Lord

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:9-11 

God exalted Jesus to His right hand.

He lives with the Father in heaven.

That every knee will bow at the name of Jesus.

Whether in heaven or on earth.

Every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is Lord.

And will glorify God, our Father.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost.

World wthout end. Amen.

Give Praise to the Lord

In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. — Isaiah 12:4

Give praise to the Lord.

Proclaim His name.

Tell the nations what He has done.

Proclaim that God's name is exalted.

Give praise to the Lord our God!
 

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.

Sing to God, Sing in Praise of His Name

Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. — Psalm 68:4-5 

I love to sing praises to God.

Rejoicing before Him.

He rides on the clouds.

His name is God the Lord.

He is a father to those who have no father.

And a defender of widows.

He adopts the orphans into His family.

And He reigns over us in His holy dwelling.

Alive and well in heaven.

Extol Him!

Sing in praise of His name.

Agree With One Another

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. — 1 Corinthians 1:10 

God calls us to agree with each other.

In what we say and do.

So we don't have divisions in the church.

So we are perfectly united in mind.

And so we even agree in our thoughts.

As brothers and sisters in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A beautiful bouquet of fragrant flowers that complement each other.

I Will Hear From Heaven

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. — 2 Chronicles 7:14 

May the 4th be with you!

Today is the fourth of May.

Here's my nieces and nephew in their Star Wars costumes.

Katie is R2D2 for Halloween in this photo. 

As the youngest, she had no choice in costumes when she was little.

Her mom told us for that reason she had to be R2D2 for two years.

The movie has them visiting many foreign lands.

God has promised to heal our land when we call on Him in prayer.

And when we turn from our wicked ways.

When we repent, He will hear us and will forgive us.

He is a gracious, merciful Lord God.

Lord, I Will Exalt You

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. — Isaiah 25:1 

The Lord has done wonderful things for me and for the world.

He planned these things long ago.

And His plans are awesome.

You are my God.

I will exalt you and praise your name.

In perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things.

We had a fun time at the musical MJ last night.

Wonderful music from the Jackson 5, Soul Train, and Michael Jackson.

The music and dancing was so animated.

What a fun evening.

Praise the Lord, My Soul

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits — Psalm 103:1-2

Praise the Lord!

He helps us through stressful times.

He hears and answers our prayers.

Yesterday I made a job offer to one of our writer candidates.

If she exceptes, I'll have just two positions still available.

My colleague also made an offer to her social media opening.

We said a prayer of thanks together for God's goodness.

Praise the Lord for His faithfulness.

And for His love.

Give Praise to the Lord

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. — 1 Chronicles 16:8 

Give praise to the Lord throughout the day.

Proclaim His name to everyone.

Make known among the nations what He has done.

For us and for others.

The Lord is great and mighty.

We are thankful for all He has done.

Giving Thanks to God the Father Through Jesus

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. — Colossians 3:17

This is a tough one.

Giving thanks in whatever I do.

And doing everything in the name of Jesus.

Being thankful in all of my words just doesn't come naturally.

And doing every deed in the name of the Lord Jesus takes more than I usually give.

But I thank God through Jesus for giving me His Word.

And for guiding me each day.

And for not giving up on me.

Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. — Psalm 100:5 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day with family and friends.

A time to give thanks to God for His love and care for us.

Our friends brought a cheese board and homemade bread.

And the flowers our neighbors sent us were beautiful.

It was a perfect day to eat outside.

And when the sun went down and it got cold, Kirk, lit the firepit.

Call to Me and I Will Answer

This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. — Jeremiah 33:2-3 

God our creator made the earth and everything in it.

He formed it out of nothing.

The Lord established it.

He created this beautiful sunset we marveled at earlier this week in Palm Desert.

He created me.

Yaweh is His name.

And He says we can call to Him.

In fact, He commands us to call out to Him.

And He promises to answer.

Even more, He will tell us great and unsearchable things we do not know.

Amazing!

Children of God

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. — John 1:12-13 

Today is the final day of July 2023.

Hard to believe that another year is more than half over!

Just as hard to believe that God calls us his children.

To all who believe in His name, we are born of God!

He is risen indeed!

God Exalted Him

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. — Philippians 2:9-11 

God exalted Jesus to the highest place, His right hand.

And gave him the name above every name.

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow.

In heaven and on earth and under the earth.

Every tongue will proclaim Him Lord to the glory of God the father.

And every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.

I Will Praise Your Name

I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. — Psalm 138:2 

My mouth will sing God's praises.

His love will never fail me.

He is faithful beyond imagination.

God has exalted his solemn decree.

I will bow down and worship Him in His holy temple.

This is one of the beautiful cathedrals we got to sing in during our choir tour of Spain.

Capila de Santa Tecla in Catedral de Burgos.

Awe-inspiring!

We Walk in the Name of the Lord

All the nations may walk  in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. — Micah 4:5 

Today is the summer solstice.

How fitting on the first day of summer to remember and thank our Creator.

Nations around the world are turning to gods of stone and brass and crystal.

To gods of money, fame, power and riches.

Trying to outdo their neighbors with worldly wealth.

But we are choosing to walk in the name of the Lord our God.

This is a choice we make daily.

But our desire is to honor the Lord, not ourselves.

This is the National Cathedral.

A reminder of the Lord God, who we serve.

To God be the glory!

Sing to God

Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. — Psalm 68:4-5 

Sing to God.

Rejoice in His name.

Sing praise to his name.

Extol him.

God is a father to the fatherless.

A defender of widows.

He is in His holy dwelling.

And He loves us all.

God Will Hear From Heaven

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. — 2 Chronicles 7:14 

Today is the National Day of Prayer.

Around the nation, people will gather to thank God and praise Him.

And to pray for our leaders and our country.

God has promised that He will hear our prayers.

When we confess our sin, He will forgive us.

And He will heal our land.

Thank You, Lord!

By the Name of Jesus Christ

Then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. — Acts 4:10, 12 

Paul wanted everyone to know that God raised Jesus from the dead.

And that it was in the name of Jesus Christ that we are healed.

This week I go for my annual oncology appointment.

Last year my oncologist told me that I was either in remission or healed.

So it's in the name of Jesus that this woman stands before you healed.

Here I am ringing the bell after my final radiation treatment in 2019.

Praise the Lord!

Lord, You Are My God!

Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. — Isaiah 25:1 

God is the Lord our God.

He is my God.

And my Lord — the Lord of my life.

I will exalt the Lord and praise His name.

In perfect faithfulness He has done wonderful things.

God is the Lord of today and of things planned long ago.

I will exalt Him throughout each day.

He is most worthy of praise!