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New Sight. New Vision
“Jesus stopped.” When Jesus stopped for Bartimaeus, I imagine the clock stopped! Bart starts hearing people’s voices calling to him. He is being seen and acknowledged. Encouraged to cheer up. Given a command. To rise to his feet. Told by the disciples that Jesus is calling him. Thank God that when we cannot see correctly, absolutely nothing is ever wrong with HIS vision! You cry for mercy, He’ll find you every time. You stay prideful, He’ll find that in you every time too. When you are in need of mercy, there is no time to be holding onto pride. Jesus stopped for me. When I was lacking. When I had…
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Recovering Hearts
One late afternoon following a long day in the Cardiac Room, I decided to trail along with the nurses to Recovery. I wanted to see where the patients go when their heart surgery was complete. I’d never been before. I had always stayed in the surgery area where it became the quicker part of a patient’s trauma care. They were wheeled in and then wheeled out. They were fixed up, for the most part, and then the next one came in. What I did not normally experience was the aftermath of heart cases. The Recovery Unit was such an eye opener for me. It pained me greatly. I eventually walked…
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Are you bent on a breakthrough?
If the majority of us are going through painful experiences at the same time, we can relate but we probably cannot depend on the majority to solve all of our problems. And no matter how honest, loving, real, consistent, faithful, compassionate, and integrous we have been, are, or continue to be – it will not move or change or fulfill or ease some people’s problems! (Realization point: From the heart flows the issues of life. God holds us in His hands. We don’t have the whole world in our hands. It is He that is needed in that person’s life. We can intercede and believe. We can even be used…
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Holding Hearts
Anesthesiologists settle and sedate. The sternum is sawed through. All kinds of intricate procedures are done for bypass. Many of the tools and sutures are tiny. From time to time when not passing instruments, sponges, or sutures, I was asked to “hold the heart.” When I mention this, people picture someone standing there with two hands and holding a human heart. But to actually hold the heart, I had to be able to squeeze between doctors and other assistants and put my left hand exactly where they needed it for the success of the surgery to continue. This is often for a crucial portion of time in the middle of…
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Shed a good light
Starting in Genesis, God brought light into everyday life. Plants lean into it. People can’t exist without it. In the New Testament, God shed a bright light to get a man’s attention. This man was someone who spread bad energy around. Saul even killed Christians. But one day. On a road to Damascus. Saul was “blinded (3 days) by the light” that changed his life. Saul was on his way with wrong intentions, threats, and imprisonment in mind for the Lord’s disciples. To harm. Christians. But God’s light changed his course. It suddenly flashed around him from heaven! Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice. Jesus spoke directly…
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Light-Minded
One of our greatest challenges is to be light minded. Some of us are naturally heavy thinkers. I’m not talking about being frivolous or its opposite which is thinking heavy thoughts. I’m speaking of the path of righteousness. “The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” When I “set my mind on things above,” I am directing my attention off trivial matters and serious attitudes. What’s up? Above us are skies of blue or gray. Airy, uncluttered, free space, creation. Not many man-made items are that high up. Right now as I type this in our hotel room, I…
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At His Feet
#5. We fall. No matter where you came from, Jesus’ presence can meet you in your distress. Yes, there are different cultural elements between people of the world but I do not think Jesus heals and delivers us based on culture or color especially if we are willing to come to Him from wherever we are. I believe He heals us based on love. Coming from everywhere, from countryside and citywide, we fall at His feet. Worship can happen anywhere. When we remember where we’ve come from, when we recall being “buried alive” in problems, when we look at the things that have been healed- we should once again fall at His…
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At His Feet
The child’s mother fell. (A man with an impure spirit, a synagogue leader with a dying daughter, a woman with an issue of blood, a mother with a possessed child…All of them at different moments, “fell at Jesus’ feet.”) #4. Tyre was a chief city of Phoenicia. Phoenicians were notable merchants and traders. Jesus went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet He could not keep His presence a secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about Him…a Greek woman born in Syrian Phoenicia, whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit, came and fell at His feet.…
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At His Feet
She fell. (A man with an impure spirit, a synagogue leader with a dying daughter, a woman with an issue of blood, a mother with a possessed child…All of them at different moments, “fell at Jesus’ feet.”) #3. A crowd is unpredictable and large. It’s suggestive. It’s contagious. Often a crowd is unstructured and unrestrained. A woman who had suffered and bled for twelve years, only getting worse at the hands of many doctors, came up behind Jesus from the crowd. When she touched Jesus’ cloak, immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. He realized power had gone from Him…
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At His Feet
He fell. (A man with an impure spirit, a synagogue leader with a dying daughter, a woman with an issue of blood, a mother with a possessed child…All of them at different moments, “fell at Jesus’ feet.”) #2. A synagogue is a consecrated space used for the purpose of prayer and study. It’s a place for gathering, empowering, enlightening. One definition states that a synagogue is the building where a Jewish assembly or congregation meets for religious worship and instruction. When Jairus, the leader from the house of worship, saw Jesus, he fell at His feet. Jairus’ daughter was dying and he pleaded earnestly with Jesus to put His hands…